The United States Mint will not object to use of the obverse or reverse design of the Lincoln “Memorial Reverse” Cent, “Indian Head/Buffalo” Nickel, Pre-2004 Jefferson/Monticello Nickel, Winged Liberty/Mercury Dime, Roosevelt Dime, Pre-1999 Washington/Eagle Quarter-Dollar, Bicentennial Quarter-Dollar, Kennedy Half-Dollar, Kennedy Bicentennial Half-Dollar, Eisenhower Bicentennial Dollar or Susan B. Anthony Dollar coins (each, a “Covered Coin” and collectively, “Covered Coins”), subject to the following conditions:
- No Covered Coin design (or any other United States coin design) may be used in a manner inconsistent with applicable laws, including without limitation United States laws governing counterfeiting (18 U.S.C. §§ 486, et. seq.), and the misuse of coins (e.g., 18 U.S.C. § 475). These laws fall under the jurisdiction of the United States Secret Service and the United States Department of Justice, and apply equally to all coins, whether or not currently in circulation. Additional laws may apply to the use of Covered Coin designs. The United States Mint strongly encourages members of the public interested in using any United States coin designs to visit the Consumer and Business Awareness section of the United States Mint Website for more information.
- No Covered Coin design (or any other United States coin design) or reproduction credit may be used in any way that could mislead or deceive the public or imply that the United States Mint, the Department of the Treasury, or the United States Government sponsors, endorses, approves, or is associated with (a) the product or service in which the design is used; (b) the creators or distributors of the product or service; or (c) any other nonfederal entity, person, activity, product, or service.
- When practicable, high-resolution coin images should be obtained directly from the United States Mint by download from the United States Mint’s online Pressroom Image Library. The United States Mint cannot honor requests for camera-ready artwork or other reformatting.
- When the obverse and/or reverse design of any Covered Coin obtained from any United States Mint source is reproduced for publication, credit should be given as follows: “United States Mint image.” The credit should be clearly legible and placed next to the coin design reproduction. The following may be used instead if a credit page is provided: “United States coin image [or images] from the United States Mint.”
*PLEASE NOTE: This policy does not cover use of the design of any coin not specifically defined above as a Covered Coin. For example, it does not cover the Golden Dollar coin featuring Sacagawea, or coins issued under the 50 State Quarters Program (which has its own design use policy) or the Westward Journey Nickel Series™. It also does not cover the name or other trademarks of the United States Mint, nor does it cover publicity rights. It does not grant any waiver, release, or written permission of the Director under 18 U.S.C. § 709i or 31 U.S.C. § 333ii. By adopting and publishing this policy, the United States Mint is not waiving or abandoning any rights in designs assigned or licensed to it, and is not authorizing or supporting any acquisition or claim of exclusive rights (such as trademark rights) in coin designs. The United States Mint makes no warranty of any kind and expressly disclaims any and all implied warranties relating to coin designs. This policy does not confer any personal right or cause of action, and does not relieve any party from any other duty or obligation.
Questions on this policy should be directed to the United States Mint Office of Licensing at 202-354-7350.
i18 U.S.C. § 709 prohibits a person from knowingly using, without written permission of the Director of the United States Mint, “the words ‘United States Mint’; or ‘U.S. Mint’ or any colorable imitation of such words, in connection with any advertisement, circular, book, pamphlet, or other publication, play, motion picture, broadcast, telecast, or other production, in a manner reasonably calculated to convey the impression that such advertisement, circular, book, pamphlet, or other publication, play, motion picture, broadcast, telecast, or other production, is approved, endorsed, or authorized by or associated in any manner with, the United States Mint.”
ii 31 U.S.C. § 333 prohibits a person from using, “in connection with, or as a part of, any advertisement, solicitation, business activity, or product, whether alone or with other words, letters, symbols, or emblems [of the Treasury Department, its bureaus, including the United States Mint, and its officials, including United States Mint officials] . . . in a manner which could reasonably be interpreted or construed as conveying the false impression that such advertisement, solicitation, business activity, or product is in any manner approved, endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by, or associated with, the Department of the Treasury or any [Treasury Department bureau or official].”
The United States Mint Circulating Coin Design Use Policy covers:
- Lincoln “Memorial Reverse” Cent
- Pre-2004 Jefferson/Monticello Nickel
- Roosevelt Dime
- Bicentennial Quarter-Dollar
- Kennedy Half-Dollar
- Susan B. Anthony Dollar
- “Indian Head/Buffalo” Nickel
- Winged Liberty/Mercury Dime
- Pre-1999 Washington/Eagle Quarter-Dollar
- Kennedy Bicentennial Half-Dollar
- Eisenhower Bicentennial Dollar