Scott Detrow

Also unsurprising, the collectible coin will be made of 24-carat gold.

To talk about where this coin fits in the history of U.S.

currency and about the message it is sending, I spoke with Caroline Turco.

She's a curator at the Money Museum run by the American Numismatic Association.

Welcome to All Things Considered.

Thanks for having me.

Let's start here.

What's the best way to think about this?

How unusual is it for a living U.S.

president to appear on a coin?

So the Trump administration, I should say, has has argued that it's found legal loopholes to do this.

But I think the broader point that you and many other experts have said is this just goes widely against 250 years of norms in this country.

For people who haven't seen this design, can you describe the coin and what you make of it just as a coin, the image they're presenting, what you think this is trying to say?

And am I right that it's not just living presidents?

There has been a precedent of don't put living people on the coin.

It's just a very clear cut.

Like we want a clear view of who this person is before we put them on a coin.

That's the reason, generally speaking, for this law, right?

And that's been a lot of the concern.

But in 2026, you know, like so many people just don't come into contact with cash and coins these days.