Grant dollar launched May 19

The new Ulysses S. Grant Presidential $1 coin was released May 19, the 148th anniversary of Grant’s Civil War Vicksburg campaign in Mississippi.

The United States Mint and the National Park Service hosted a launch ceremony in St. Louis.

“Americans know Grant best as the victorious general in the Civil War, and these new coins can’t help but remind us of that defining period in our history, but they will also connect America to Grant’s two terms as our 18th President,” said United States Mint Acting Deputy Director Al Runnels.

Federal Reserve Banks are releasing millions of the coins into circulation.

John Marszalek, executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, joined Runnels at the coin launch, which was held at the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in St. Louis. The site is where Grant and his wife Julia occasionally resided during the 1850s.

The Ulysses S. Grant Presidential $1 Coin is the 18th release in the United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin Program.