By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ….
The 2010-D Franklin Pierce Presidential Dollar is a one-dollar coin struck at the Denver Mint as part of the United States Mint’s Presidential Dollar Coin series. Congress authorized the program in 2005 with the goal of honoring past U.S. presidents and getting the public more engaged with American history. The series also intended to reinvigorate the flagging golden dollar coin program.
The Pierce Dollar was the second of four Presidential Dollars released in 2010. It was preceded by the Millard Fillmore dollar and followed by designs for James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln.
- Circulation-quality versions were produced at the Philadelphia (2010-P) and Denver (2010-D) Mints.
- Proof versions were struck at the San Francisco (2010-S) Mint.
You can identify the 2010-D version by the “D” mintmark on the edge of the coin.
From “Young Hickory” to “Dark Horse”
Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, was born on November 23, 1804, in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Born to a prominent political family, his father, Benjamin Pierce, was a two-time governor of New Hampshire. Franklin attended Bowdoin College in Maine, graduating in 1824 before pursuing a legal career.
Pierce’s political rise was swift. He was elected to the New Hampshire state legislature in 1829 and became its speaker just two years later. A staunch supporter of Andrew Jackson and his “Jacksonian Democracy,” Pierce was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1833 and the U.S. Senate in 1837—at the time, the youngest senator. Throughout his time in Congress, he remained a loyal Democrat who generally aligned with Southern views on slavery, which he considered a constitutionally protected institution.
Citing personal reasons and his wife’s dislike for Washington, D.C., Pierce resigned from the Senate in 1842. He returned to New Hampshire to practice law, but his brief military service as a brigadier general in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) added to his political resume.
The 1852 Democratic National Convention, plagued by deep sectional divisions, led to a deadlock. None of the leading contenders could secure the necessary two-thirds majority. After 48 ballots, the party turned to a “dark horse” candidate: Franklin Pierce. His relative obscurity, combined with his Northern background and pro-Southern sympathies on the slavery issue, made him an appealing compromise. On the 49th ballot, he secured the nomination, and he and his running mate, William R. King, went on to decisively defeat the Whig nominee, General Winfield Scott.
A Presidency That Accelerated the Nation Toward Civil War
Pierce’s presidency, far from healing the nation’s sectional divide, exacerbated it. He took office hoping the Compromise of 1850 would settle the slavery issue, but his actions quickly intensified tensions. His support for the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 proved to be the most disastrous. Championed by Stephen Douglas, the act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by introducing “popular sovereignty.” This allowed residents of the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide on the legality of slavery themselves.
The act ignited a violent struggle between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers known as “Bleeding Kansas.” It was widely seen in the North as a capitulation to Southern interests, and it deeply angered abolitionists and moderate anti-slavery advocates alike. The act also dealt a fatal blow to the Whig Party and contributed directly to the rise of the purely anti-slavery Republican Party.
Pierce had expected to be renominated by the Democrats in 1856, but the fallout from the Kansas-Nebraska Act and his perceived ineffectiveness in dealing with the escalating crisis led his party to abandon him in favor of James Buchanan.
After his presidency, Pierce traveled extensively, but his later years were overshadowed by personal tragedy and growing isolation. His wife, Jane, devastated by the deaths of all three of their sons, died in 1863.
During the Civil War, Pierce remained loyal to the Union but became a vocal critic of President Abraham Lincoln’s policies, especially the Emancipation Proclamation. This stance alienated him from many former friends and supporters in the North. His lifelong struggle with alcohol intensified in his later years, and he died in obscurity in Concord, New Hampshire, on October 8, 1869, at the age of 64.
Collecting the 2010-P Franklin Pierce Presidential Dollar
The Denver Mint struck 38,360,000 2010-D Franklin Pierce Presidential Dollars. Despite a decline in public interest in the Presidential Dollar program, most of the 2010-D Pierce Dollars were distributed through the Federal Reserve Banking System.
Collectors primarily obtained these coins by purchasing 25-coin rolls from the United States Mint’s website or by acquiring the 2010 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set. These sets, which included one of each coin struck at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints, had a face value of $13.82 and sold for $31.95.
A key distinction for collectors is the difference between circulation-quality coins and those included in the Uncirculated Mint Set. From 2005 to 2010, the U.S. Mint used special burnished blanks and dies for the coins in these sets, resulting in a matte, satin-like finish. This process was intended to ensure a consistent appearance for the coins but led many collectors to purchase both rolls and Mint Sets to obtain both strike types.
Today, these 2010 Mint Sets typically sell for about $30, while individual 2010-D Franklin Pierce Presidential Dollars are valued at roughly $3.
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Uncirculated Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens
Top Population: PCGS MS67 (7, 8/2025), NGC MS67 (24, 8/2025), and CAC N/A (8/2025).
- NGC Sample (Uncirculated): eBay, June 17, 2025 – $35. Buy It Now. YN Treasure Trivia.
- United States Mint $25 Uncirculated Roll: eBay, August 20, 2025 – $35.95.
- Raw Uncirculated Coin: eBay, August 8, 2025 – $2.94.
Satin Finish Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens
Top Population: PCGS SP69 (4, 8/2025), NGC MS69 (71, 8/2025), and CAC N/A (8/2025).
- PCGS SP69 #1822611: eBay, May 31, 2025 – $700. Buy It Now.
- PCGS SP68: eBay, August 11, 2025 – $9.50.
Design
Obverse:
Franklin Pierce faces forward, his head slightly turned towards the viewer’s left. His name is emblazoned at the top of the design, while the inscription 14th PRESIDENT 1853-1857 is placed below the portrait. The initials SG (Susan Gamble) and CLV (Charles L. Vickers) appear on Pierce’s lapel.
Common Reverse:
Don Everhart’s reverse design features an ant’s-eye view of the Statue of Liberty offset to the left. On the coin, Liberty occupies the bottom right quadrant of the coin, her extended elbow being the coin’s center point. The design is framed by a thin inner circle, which separates the graphic design from the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Beneath Liberty’s extended torch-bearing arm is the denomination $1. This is the common reverse design for all Presidential Dollar coins.
Edge:
The edge of the Presidential Dollar is lettered and features the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, the mintmark, the year of issuance, and 13 five-pointed stars. This edge inscription may be oriented facing the obverse (Position A) or the reverse (Position B).
Coin Specifications
| Country: | United States of America |
| Year of Issue: | 2010 |
| Denomination: | One Dollar (USD) |
| Mintmark: | D (Denver) |
| Mintage: | 38,360,000 |
| Alloy: | .770 Copper, .120 Zinc, 0.070 Manganese, 0.040 Nickel |
| Weight: | 8.10 g |
| Diameter: | 26.55 mm |
| Edge: | Lettered |
| OBV Designer: | Susan Gamble (Design) / Charles L. Vickers (Sculpt) |
| REV Designer: | Don Everhart |
| Quality: | Business Strike |
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