WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Mint has bagun selling rolls and bags of its 2026 Minnesota American Innovation $1 coin, offering collectors a design recognizing the development of mobile refrigeration and its role in modern food distribution.
Sales opened on Tuesday for coins produced at the Philadelphia and Denver mints.
A 25-coin roll costs $61, while a 100-coin bag is priced at $154.50. The Mint will limit purchases to 10 rolls and 10 bags per household for each product option.
The reverse depicts a 1940s-era truck equipped with an early front-mounted refrigeration unit. Images on the truck represent temperature-sensitive goods whose distribution expanded with the technology.
The design carries the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “MINNESOTA” and “MOBILE REFRIGERATION.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz linked the technology to global supply chains, the growth of the frozen-food industry and the transportation of military supplies during World War II.
The coin also recognizes Frederick McKinley Jones, whose work helped advance mobile refrigeration. Jones became the first Black American to receive the National Medal of Technology.
“This design honors the ingenuity, perseverance, and vision of those who helped to build the modern food distribution chain,” Mint Director Paul Hollis stated.
The obverse features the Statue of Liberty in profile, along with “IN GOD WE TRUST” and the $1 denomination.
The 2026 design includes a gear-shaped privy mark incorporating the Liberty Bell and the number “250” to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.
The year, mint mark and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are engraved along the coin’s edge.
The manganese-brass coin weighs 8.1 grams and measures 1.043 inches in diameter. Its composition is primarily copper, with 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese and 2% nickel.
The Minnesota issue is the fourth and final American Innovation $1 coin scheduled for 2026.
Congress authorized the series in 2018 to recognize innovations and innovators associated with each state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories. The Treasury secretary selects each final design after consultation with state or territorial officials and subject-matter experts.
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