2010-D James Buchanan

Denver struck 36,540,000 James Buchanan dollars in 2010, released August 19 alongside the Franklin Pierce dollar in a paired ceremony for the third and fourth designs of the year. The figure marked another step down from 2009 Denver totals as the Federal Reserve continued to draw against unreleased Presidential Dollar inventory rather than order new shipments. Buchanan was the only bachelor president and the only chief executive born in Pennsylvania, and his single term ended with seven southern states already seceded by inauguration day 1861. Phebe Hemphill modeled the obverse portrait, paired with Don Everhart's Statue of Liberty reverse used across every business-strike Presidential Dollar through 2016. The D mintmark sits on the edge alongside the date and the mottoes, applied in a third strike after the obverse and reverse dies pressed the faces.

Two die-state issues recur on the 2010-D Buchanan at the cherry-picking level. Strike weakness on Buchanan's high forehead and coat lapel is the first sign of die wear, and the same press run typically softens the torch flame and Liberty's gown folds on the reverse. Missing-edge-lettering errors, the hallmark issue of the 2007 Washington release, surface less often on 2010 dates because the Mint had refined the edge press, but authenticated examples on Buchanan still trade as legitimate errors. Doubled edge lettering, where the third strike landed twice, is a documented variety and trades at a small premium. Authentication for any edge issue should run through PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, or NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company.

The 2010-D Buchanan is a common date in any circulated grade and inexpensive through Mint State 66. Condition rarity sets in at MS67 and above, where strike sharpness on the central obverse and clean fields around the portrait thin the population sharply, in line with the rest of the manganese-brass series. Most collectors fill the slot through original Mint-wrapped rolls or the four-coin 2010 Presidential Dollar set rather than slabbed singles, and certified high-grade pieces appeal mainly to registry builders chasing the 2010 quartet. For broader program context including the 2012 transition to collector-only distribution, see the Presidential Dollar series history.