When the Presidential Dollars first came out, the beloved motto In GOD WE TRUST had been placed on the edge of the coins, along with E PLURIBUS UNUM and the date and mint mark. The purpose was to free up space on the coins' front and back, so the designs would be bolder and the coin less cluttered. However, when the first Presidential Dollar, (the George Washington coin) was released, a furor erupted, fueled largely by misinformation perpetrated by press reports that proclaimed the new coins to be "Godless Dollars". In fact, a minuscule percentage (probably less than one-tenth of one percent, or 0.1% of all Washington Dollars struck) accidentally left the Mint without the edge lettering having been incused on them.
Rumors, which were widely circulated by email, quickly spread, claiming that the U.S. Mint had left God completely off of all the new dollars, not just the tiny percentage that happened in error. People began thumping their Bibles and calling their Congressmen, and by the time the furor began to subside and the truth became known, many of the loudest complainers didn't want to back down and admit their mistake. A movement began to gain momentum, this time based on the notion of "restoring God to His rightful place on the face of our coins." Having the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the edge wasn't good enough; God had to be on the faces of the coins, according to the proponents in favor of taking the motto off the edge. A bill was introduced in Congress, duly passed by both houses, and beginning with the first Presidential Dollar coin of 2009, the coins will have a new design which incorporates IN GOD WE TRUST on the front, as shown in the image.
Next: See what the new edge design looks like!