The United States Mint announced that it plans to use the image of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs on the California version of the American Innovation $1 Coin to be released in 2026 to honor his outstanding contributions in the field of technological innovation. The coin has a face value of $1, but according to a sales plan announced by the Mint, the actual cost to the average consumer is up to about $2.44 per coin.
The American Innovation Dollar Coin project was officially launched in 2018 to pay tribute to the important innovations and representatives of each state, the District of Columbia, and the five territories of the United States through specially designed one-dollar coins. Each state and territory will issue a coin with a different theme. The theme and design are determined by the U.S. Mint in cooperation with the offices of governors or other chief executive offices.
This year’s California coin will feature “a young Steve Jobs sitting in front of a typical Northern California scene,” with rolling oak-covered hills in the background to highlight the close connection between Jobs and California’s culture of technology and innovation. California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a press release that the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit embodied by Jobs represented the best of California. He "created the future as we know it today." His tenacity and fearless pursuit of the "California Dream" made the dreams of countless Americans come true, and he hoped that people would try to follow in the footsteps of Jobs when pursuing their own "California Dream."
According to the U.S. Mint, the final design for each American Innovation Dollar Coin is decided by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Mint Director Paul Hollis said in a statement that he was "pleased" with the issuance of the California version of the "American Innovation Dollar Coin" and emphasized that Steve Jobs was a "remarkable innovator who changed the way the world connects and communicates." This issuance aims to commemorate his extraordinary work through the coin and affirm his importance to California and the entire United States.
The obverse design of the Jobs-themed coin includes the words "Steve Jobs" and "Make Something Wonderful." Among them, "Make Something Wonderful" originated from a speech Jobs gave at an internal Apple employee communication meeting on October 23, 2007, which was recorded and organized by The Steve Jobs Archive. Jobs said at the time that there were many ways for people to express their gratitude to humanity, and he believed that one way was to "make something wonderful and bring it to the world."
Interested members of the public can purchase the Steve Jobs commemorative coin through the U.S. Mint website. Buyers can choose from a roll of 25 coins, or a bag of 100 coins, and can specify whether the coins will be struck by the Denver Mint or the Philadelphia Mint. According to official pricing, a roll of 25 coins sells for $61, which works out to about $2.44 each; a bag of 100 coins sells for $154.50, which works out to about $1.55 each. There is a limit on order quantities of 100-piece money bags and coin rolls per address: maximum 10 of each product.
The U.S. Mint said that this batch of California "American Innovation Dollar Coins" bearing the image of Steve Jobs will be officially put on sale on its official website on May 12, 2026, with a total planned mintage of 25,950 pieces. To date, 33 states have published or distributed designs for the American Innovation Dollar Coin, including themes commemorating major achievements such as the polio vaccine in Pennsylvania, Incandescent Light in New Jersey, the Underground Railroad in Ohio, and the International Space Station in Texas.