Steve Jobs to Be Featured on the California Innovation Dollar

Proposed designs for the United States Mint's 2026 American Innovation dollar for California have been unveiled, revealing it will feature Steve Jobs.

The U.S. Mint is making progress in selecting the design for the 2026 American Innovation dollar, which will highlight California and a state innovator.

During the 12th meeting of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) on Feb. 18, and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) on Feb. 20, six candidate designs were presented for the coin.

The designs were selected from 20 proposals that were submitted by members of the public in response to a notice of request for candidates that was published in December 2022.

Each of the candidates were displayed in full color renderings, which were created by the U.S. Mint based on the proposals.

The CCAC and CFA members viewed and discussed the designs, and they offered their advice to the U.S. Mint. Both panels are appointed to advise the Secretary of the Treasury on matters pertaining to the coinage of the United States.

The new American Innovation dollar will be the fourth coin in 2026. It will be released in the final quarter of the year.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Mint launched the 50th anniversary program for the State Quarter. The first coin in the series, which continues the American Innovation dollar program, will triple the starting price of a standard quarter.

Each year, the program features annually released coins, with four unique reverse designs per year, each honouring a significant innovation or innovator.

The Innovation $1 coin is part of the common five coins that are struck annually. These coins are sold in multi-ples at face value and are available for collectors throughout the year.

The U.S. Mint also produces a limited edition uncirculated coin and a proof coin in each design. These collector coins are sold at a premium above face value.

Earlier this year, the CCAP made its recommendations for the 2025 American Innovation dollar. The panel voted to recommend a design that integrates a hummingbird with a California poppy.

The commissioners also discussed the candidates for the California Innovation coin. They largely agreed that they preferred designs that focused on the innovator’s likeness.

The commissioners selected 10A as their top recommendation, noting that it captures Jobs’s iconic speeches and his ability to connect with audiences.

"I think the figural work in this one is outstanding. It’s very classical in its rendering. And I think it’s beautiful. I’m not a fan of the rendering of the background. It’s a little too busy for my taste. But I do like the figural work and the stippling in the background. It creates a nice texture,” one commissioner said.

The CFA did not have a strong preference for any of the designs. They noted that 01B provides a clearer link between Jobs and his innovations.

“I think we need to be able to quickly identify what the subject of the coin is. And I think in this case, it’s not immediately apparent. We have to really look at the designs to understand what they represent. I think 01B is the best in terms of clearly linking the innovator with his innovations.”

However, they ultimately supported any selection made by the stakeholders or CCAP, and they advised the U.S. Mint to use a proportional font for the STATE inscription and to ensure that the inscription MAKE SOMETHING WONDERFUL is included if it is not already present on the selected design.

Liaisons from the state and both advisory bodies provided their recommendations for the coin.

Stakeholders, represented by Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Gov. Newsom and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, favored 07C overall, with 07A as a secondary choice.

The CCAP recommended 10A, highlighting his iconic speeches and ability to connect with audiences.

Ultimately, the Secretary of the Treasury will make the final design selection after considering recommendations from the advisory panels and stakeholders.

Here are the candidates designs that were presented to the CCAP and CFA:

The stellar candidates for the 2026 Innovation dollar from the state of California. The designs will be triple inspected by the CCAP and the CFA at their upcoming meetings. The state coinage liaison will also provide the panels with the stakeholders’ recommendations.

The U.S. Mint is seeking a design for the American Innovation dollar that will be released in 2026. The coin will celebrate the innovators who have shaped America.

The candidates will be selected from 20 proposals that were submitted by members of the public in response to a notice of request for candidates that was published in December 2022.

The designs will be presented to the CCAP and the CFA at their upcoming meetings. The panels will offer their advice to the U.S. Mint on which design should be selected.

The new American Innovation