For the third time in history, the inauguration of a United States president has fallen on a day designated as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That day became a federal holiday in 1986, recognized as the third Monday in January. Contrary to popular belief, it is not observed on Dr. King’s birthday, which is Jan.15.

For the record, the overlap happened in 1997 (Bill Clinton) and 2013 (Barack Obama), and both men were in attendance for the 2025 inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States.

The meaning of the day was not lost on Trump, who remarked “Today is Martin Luther King Day and his honor, this will be a great honor. But, in his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true.”

It’s not likely that, from all we know about Martin Luther King, his dream included the kind of recognition he has received since his tragic death in 1968. He has been memorialized in many different ways, but not on a commemorative coin.

We’re reminded of efforts made in the years that followed the passing of the civil rights leader 57 years ago. On the front page of the March 6, 2000, issue of Coin World, Michele Orzano reported the proposal for a commemorative coin program noting, “This legislation joins other bills that were introduced over the past 27 years to honor King on a coin.”

They didn’t get very far, and thus far no coin program in his honor has been approved. Ideas have included silver dollars, proposed by Andrew Young in 1973, and a redesign of the dollar coin brought up on a couple of occasions. In 2004, Public Law 108-368 designated a congressional gold medal for Dr. King and Coretta Scott King, no coin commemorates the man and his dream.

In fact, for nearly two decades, really nothing numismatic has been considered. He has countless post offices, city streets and monuments in his honor, but no commemorative coin. Is it time?

Maybe I’m a little premature in this. It took some time for the Greatest Generation to get their due, nearly 80 years after the war ended.

As the 119th Congress starts to gain momentum, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone brings back the idea of a commemorative coin for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We’ll see where it goes, if it happens.

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For the third time in history, the inauguration of a United States president has fallen on a day designated as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That day became a federal holiday in 1986, recognized as the third Monday in January. Contrary to popular belief, it is not observed on Dr. King’s birthday, which is Jan.15.

For the record, the overlap happened in 1997 (Bill Clinton) and 2013 (Barack Obama), and both men were in attendance for the 2025 inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States.

The meaning of the day was not lost on Trump, who remarked “Today is Martin Luther King Day and his honor, this will be a great honor. But, in his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true.”

It’s not likely that, from all we know about Martin Luther King, his dream included the kind of recognition he has received since his tragic death in 1968. He has been memorialized in many different ways, but not on a commemorative coin.

We’re reminded of efforts made in the years that followed the passing of the civil rights leader 57 years ago. On the front page of the March 6, 2000, issue of Coin World, Michele Orzano reported the proposal for a commemorative coin program noting, “This legislation joins other bills that were introduced over the past 27 years to honor King on a coin.”

They didn’t get very far, and thus far no coin program in his honor has been approved. Ideas have included silver dollars, proposed by Andrew Young in 1973, and a redesign of the dollar coin brought up on a couple of occasions. In 2004, Public Law 108-368 designated a congressional gold medal for Dr. King and Coretta Scott King, no coin commemorates the man and his dream.

In fact, for nearly two decades, really nothing numismatic has been considered. He has countless post offices, city streets and monuments in his honor, but no commemorative coin. Is it time?

Maybe I’m a little premature in this. It took some time for the Greatest Generation to get their due, nearly 80 years after the war ended.

As the 119th Congress starts to gain momentum, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone brings back the idea of a commemorative coin for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We’ll see where it goes, if it happens.

Connect with Coin World:  
Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Access our Dealer Directory  
Like us on Facebook  
Follow us on X (Twitter)

Whether you’re a current subscriber or new, you can take advantage of the best offers on magazine subscriptions available in digital, print or both! Whether you want your issue every week or every month, there’s a subscription to meet your needs.