US Mint Celebrates American Innovation with Steve Jobs and Cray-1 Coins
The United States Mint (US Mint), which is the mint responsible for producing dollar coins, will be releasing a commemorative coin featuring Apple co-founder Steve Jobs next year. There are also plans to create such a coin that shows one of the first supercomputers, the Cray-1.
US Mint wants to celebrate American innovation
The US Mint will begin minting new commemorative coins with a nominal value of US dollars next year. Motifs are implemented that are intended to honor “American innovation”. Since 2018, each US state has been able to propose corresponding motifs that should represent the respective state on the coins. In the case of California, a motif featuring Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was proposed last year and will now actually go into production from 2026. The new commemorative coin features Jobs sitting cross-legged against a backdrop of hills in the Californian landscape – and of course he’s wearing a turtleneck sweater.
“Make something wonderful”
Additionally, the coin will bear the inscription “Make something wonderful,” a quote from 2007 that has since been cited by his executors as an example of Jobs’ worldview. The Steve Jobs-themed coin will be marketed through the US Mint’s website starting in 2026, with buyers paying $13.25 “regular” US dollars.
According to California Governor Gavin Newsom, the coin is intended to “embody California’s unique innovative strength.” In fact, Jobs is now considered a legendary visionary, even if there is always criticism of a supposed exaggeration of his achievements; after all, some observers see him above all as a marketing genius who was able to sell other people’s technical developers extremely successfully. In addition to the Steve Jobs coin, another special pressing will be released in 2026 that celebrates technical innovations.
The US state of Wisconsin contributed a motif showing a Cray-1. This is one of the first so-called supercomputers that came onto the market in the mid-1970s. The company Cray Computers, which was behind the supercomputer, which ultimately sold 80 units, was based in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, at the time of its market launch, where there is now a museum that now houses the first commercially sold Cray-1 system. Incidentally, Wisconsin is also responsible for the fact that from 2026 there will also be a commemorative coin for mobile cooling systems – those cooling units that keep trucks at a low temperature.
