2009-P James K. Polk Presidential Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 46,620,000 made
- Mintage
- 46,620,000
- 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 2009-P James K. Polk Presidential Dollar worth?
In circulated condition it's worth face value. Only uncirculated coins with full original luster, or a recognized variety, carry a premium.
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 2009-P James K. Polk Presidential Dollar rare?
- No. 47 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 2009-P James K. Polk 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 2009 Presidential Dollar?
- On the edge, incused along with the date and mottos. On this coin the mark is P, for Philadelphia.
- How many 2009-P James K. Polk Presidential Dollar coins were made?
- 46,620,000.
What to check on your 2009-P
- Make sure the mint mark really is a P. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 2009-D (42 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 47 million made, the 2009-P 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 2009-P James K. Polk
Philadelphia made 46,620,000 of the James K. Polk presidential dollar. That was the biggest Philadelphia run of the 4 designs issued in 2009; Zachary Taylor had the smallest at 42 million.
Denver struck a similar number of the same design (42 million), so neither mint's version is much harder to find.
Across the whole program it sits 31st of 40 Philadelphia designs by mintage, where the scarcest is George H. W. Bush at 1.2 million.
The motto moves and the stockpile grows (2009 to 2011)
From 2009 IN GOD WE TRUST moved off the edge and onto the obverse, while the date, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM stayed on the edge. Mintages fell steadily as the coins kept piling up unused.
By 2011 the Federal Reserve held well over a billion dollar coins it could not circulate. At the end of that year the Treasury stopped making Presidential dollars for circulation, so the coins of 2011 were the last made in large numbers.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2009
Four special reverse designs marked the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth on the cent. Quarters honored the District of Columbia and five US territories. The Native American dollar began a new reverse each year.
How to recognize it
The James K. Polk design
James K. Polk, the 11th president, served from 1845 to 1849 after a career that included a term as Speaker of the House. He pledged to serve a single term and kept that promise. His administration settled the Oregon boundary with Britain at the 49th parallel in 1846. The Mexican-American War followed, ending with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. That treaty added California and much of the Southwest to the United States.
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 | 2009 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 46,620,000 |
| 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 2009 Presidential Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-P William Henry Harrison Presidential Dollar | 43,260,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2009-P John Tyler Presidential Dollar | 43,540,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2009-P James K. Polk Presidential Dollar | 46,620,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2009-P Zachary Taylor Presidential Dollar | 41,580,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2009-D William Henry Harrison Presidential Dollar | 55,160,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2009-D John Tyler Presidential Dollar | 43,540,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2009-D James K. Polk Presidential Dollar | 41,720,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2009-D Zachary Taylor Presidential Dollar | 36,680,000 | 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.