2008-D Martin Van Buren Presidential Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 50,960,000 made
- Mintage
- 50,960,000
- Metal
- Manganese brass
- Weight
- 8.1 g
- Diameter
- 26.49 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2008-D Martin Van Buren Presidential Dollar worth?
A worn 2008-D Martin Van Buren is a spender: face value. A bright uncirculated one, or one with a known error, is worth setting aside.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2008-D Martin Van Buren Presidential Dollar rare?
- No. 51 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 2008-D Martin Van Buren Presidential Dollar silver?
- No. It's manganese brass (88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel). Circulating silver dollars ended with the 1935 Peace dollar. Some Eisenhower dollars with an S mint mark were made in 40% silver for collectors, but circulation Ike dollars are copper-nickel clad.
- Where is the mint mark on a 2008 Presidential Dollar?
- On the edge, incused along with the date and mottos. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- How many 2008-D Martin Van Buren Presidential Dollar coins were made?
- 50,960,000.
What to check on your 2008-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 2008-P (52 million made).
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the high points of each portrait and the edge lettering, which should be complete and evenly spaced.
With 51 million made, the 2008-D still turns up in everyday change. Keep yours only if it looks uncirculated or shows a variety; otherwise it's worth face value.
The story of the 2008-D Martin Van Buren
Denver made 50,960,000 of the Martin Van Buren presidential dollar. That was the smallest Denver run of the 4 designs issued in 2008, so it's the one from that year you're least likely to find in change.
Philadelphia struck a similar number of the same design (52 million), so neither mint's version is much harder to find.
Across the whole program it sits 32nd of 40 Denver designs by mintage, where the scarcest is George H. W. Bush at 1.5 million.
A new dollar every few months (2007 to 2008)
The program opened in 2007 with George Washington and added four presidents a year in the order they served. The date, mint mark, E PLURIBUS UNUM and IN GOD WE TRUST were all lettered on the edge, which led to the best-known modern error of the series: dollars that left the Mint with a plain edge, missing all of that lettering.
Philadelphia and Denver struck hundreds of millions of the first coins and they did reach everyday change for a while. Most people still preferred paper dollars, though, so plenty of these early coins went straight into bank vaults. Check the edge of any 2007 or 2008 coin you find.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2008
The 50 State Quarters program ended with Hawaii. The Lincoln Memorial cent was struck for the last time.
How to recognize it
The Martin Van Buren design
Martin Van Buren, the eighth president, held office from 1837 to 1841. Born in Kinderhook, New York, in 1782, he was the first president born a citizen of the United States rather than a British subject. He had served as secretary of state and then vice president under Andrew Jackson. Soon after his inauguration the Panic of 1837 began a long economic depression. In 1840 he signed the Independent Treasury Act.
The Presidential Dollar design
The obverse shows a president with his name and the order and years of his time in office. The reverse shows the Statue of Liberty with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and $1. The date, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM are lettered on the edge, along with IN GOD WE TRUST on coins struck before 2009, so check the edge for the mint mark.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Presidential Dollar (2007–2020) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2008 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 50,960,000 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | Manganese brass (88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.1 grams |
| Diameter | 26.49 mm |
| Edge | Lettered with the date, mint mark and mottos |
| Designer | Obverses by various artists; Statue of Liberty reverse by Don Everhart |
Other 2008 Presidential Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-P James Monroe Presidential Dollar | 64,260,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-P John Quincy Adams Presidential Dollar | 57,540,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-P Andrew Jackson Presidential Dollar | 61,180,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-P Martin Van Buren Presidential Dollar | 51,520,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-D James Monroe Presidential Dollar | 60,230,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-D John Quincy Adams Presidential Dollar | 57,720,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-D Andrew Jackson Presidential Dollar | 61,070,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-D Martin Van Buren Presidential Dollar | 50,960,000 | Circulation strike | – |
Mintage: Presidential dollar coins (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.