2013-P $1 Woodrow Wilson Position B (Regular Strike)

The 2013-P Woodrow Wilson Presidential Dollar was not released into circulation, although it is a circulation strike coin. However, the U.S. Mint did sell the coins directly to the public, where they can buy them in rolls or in larger quantities. Because the coins did not enter circulation, most examples are in Uncirculated condition. Coins up to MS67 grade are common but anything grading higher than MS67 is considered scarce to rare.

The 2013-P Woodrow Wilson Presidential Dollar

Launched in 2007 under Public Law 109-145, the Presidential $1 Coin Program was designed to revitalize the dollar coin by honoring U.S. Presidents in order of service. Much like the 50 State Quarters, the program aimed to create a "circulating history lesson." However, the public’s preference for the $1 bill led to a massive surplus of coins in Federal Reserve vaults; furthermore, without deeper academic context, the series often leaned toward hagiography rather than objective history.

By late 2011, the Treasury suspended production for general circulation. Consequently, the 28th release, honoring Woodrow Wilson, was struck only for collectors, as were all "golden dollars" struck after 2011. This shift from utility currency to a niche numismatic product mirrors the Mint's previous efforts with the Sacagawea and Susan B. Anthony Dollars.

Woodrow Wilson: Progressive Reformer and Architect of Segregation

Thomas Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921) was an intellectual giant whose presidency was defined by a jarring paradox: the pursuit of global democracy alongside the institutionalization of systemic racism.

Wilson’s career began in academia at Bryn Mawr and Wesleyan before he became the 13th President of Princeton University in 1902. He transformed Princeton into a premier research institution, yet his "progress" was strictly segregated. Wilson actively discouraged African American applicants, ensuring Princeton remained the only Ivy League school without a Black student body during his tenure—a barrier that stood until 1947.

His brief term as Governor of New Jersey (1911–1913) saw him enact bold Progressive legislation, including public utility reforms and primary election laws, which catapulted him to the White House.

Legislative and Global Vision

In his first term, Wilson fundamentally restructured the American economy through two landmark achievements: the Underwood Tarriff Act and the Federal Reserve Act, both passed in 1913.

The Underwood Tariff Act reduced tariffs and implemented the first modern federal income tax, then levied on only the top 3% of earners. The Federal Reserve Act created the modern central banking system to stabilize the nation's credit and currency.

On the world stage, Wilson led the U.S. through World War I and proposed his Fourteen Points, advocating for national self-determination and the creation of the League of Nations. His vision sought a "peace without victory" to prevent future global catastrophe. Of course, peace in Europe was shortlived.

A Legacy of Systemic Oppression

Despite these reforms, Wilson’s administration oversaw a significant regression in civil rights. In 1913, he authorized the resegregation of the federal civil service. This move led to a measurable increase in the Black-white earnings gap and the demotion of high-ranking Black civil servants. His screening of the film The Birth of a Nation at the White House provided a veneer of legitimacy to its "Lost Cause" narrative.

The Wilson legacy remains a sensitive subject. Once considered one of the "all-time great" presidents, Wilson’s stature has fallen among historians and the universities he led and attended. Such is the price of leadership, and Wilson’s policy choices were consciously made. In many ways, the Wilson administration was a direct antithesis to the legacy of Ulysses S. Grant; consequently, it took until the administration of Harry S. Truman for some of Wilson’s most damaging policies to be formally corrected.

Collecting the 2013-P Wilson Dollar

Because the Treasury ceased circulation production in 2011, the 2013-P Woodrow Wilson Presidential Dollar was sold exclusively at a premium in Mint bags, rolls, and uncirculated coin sets. Consequently, collectors should prioritize specimens with vibrant, satiny "golden" luster and minimal abrasions. Like all coins in this series, they are prone to tarnishing if not stored in a pH-neutral, humidity-controlled environment.

PCGS differentiates the 2013-P Wilson dollar by the orientation of the edge lettering:

• Position A: The edge lettering appears upside-down (the "bottom" of the letters is toward the portrait).
• Position B: The edge lettering appears right-side-up (the "bottom" of the letters is toward the Statue of Liberty/reverse).

The orientation depends entirely on which side of the coin was facing "up" when it passed through the schuler edge-lettering machine. The distribution between Positions A and B is roughly equal.

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