2008-P James Monroe Presidential Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 64,260,000 made
- Mintage
- 64,260,000
- 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-P James Monroe Presidential Dollar worth?
A worn 2008-P James Monroe 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-P James Monroe Presidential Dollar rare?
- No. With 64 million made, it's one of the most common Presidential Dollars.
- Is the 2008-P James Monroe 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 P, for Philadelphia.
- How many 2008-P James Monroe Presidential Dollar coins were made?
- 64,260,000.
What to check on your 2008-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 2008-D (60 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 64 million made, the 2008-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 2008-P James Monroe
Philadelphia made 64,260,000 of the James Monroe presidential dollar. That was the biggest Philadelphia run of the 4 designs issued in 2008; Martin Van Buren had the smallest at 52 million.
Denver struck a similar number of the same design (60 million), so neither mint's version is much harder to find.
Across the whole program it's one of the most plentiful Philadelphia designs.
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 James Monroe design
The fifth president, James Monroe, held office from 1817 to 1825, a period often called the Era of Good Feelings. As a young officer in the Revolutionary War he was wounded at the Battle of Trenton. His administration acquired Florida from Spain under the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. In 1820 he signed the Missouri Compromise. His 1823 message to Congress set out the Monroe Doctrine, warning European powers against new colonization in the Americas.
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 | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 64,260,000 |
| 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.