Calvin Coolidge became the only U.S. president shown on a coin during his lifetime when his portrait appeared on the 1926 United States Sesquicentennial half dollar.
The half dollar commemorated the 150th anniversary of American independence. Its obverse displayed jugate busts of George Washington, the first president, and Calvin Coolidge, who was president when the coin was issued. The coin was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1926.
The reverse showed the Liberty Bell. The issue was part of the United States Sesquicentennial celebration held in Philadelphia, which also included a commemorative gold quarter eagle.
Coolidge’s appearance is unusual because federal law had generally prohibited living people from appearing on U.S. coins. Other living Americans appeared on commemorative coins, including Alabama governor Thomas Kilby in 1921, but Coolidge remains the only U.S. president depicted on American coinage during his lifetime.