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The fourth and final 2026 U.S. one-dollar coin, and the thirty-third in the American Innovation Dollar Program series, will be issued on July 28. This new coin, dedicated to the state of Minnesota, commemorates the development of mobile refrigeration, an innovation that transformed the transportation of food, medicine, and other temperature-sensitive products.
What does the 2026 Minnesota coin represent?
The 2026 Minnesota coin is an official one-dollar issue from the United States Mint, part of the American Innovation Dollar Program. It is not intended for general circulation but will be distributed primarily in rolls and bags for collectors.
This time, the chosen innovation is not an easily recognizable everyday object or a famous person, but a technology that quietly changed the economy and daily life: the possibility of maintaining a controlled temperature during road transport.
Before the advent of the first mechanical refrigeration systems installed in vehicles, the transport of perishable foods relied primarily on ice and salt. This method was imprecise, took up a significant portion of cargo space, and considerably limited the distance that products such as meat, milk, fish, fruits, or vegetables could travel.
Mobile refrigeration made it possible to expand trade routes, reduce food losses, and deliver fresh products to locations far from their production centers. It also proved crucial for transporting medicines, vaccines, blood, and plasma safely.
Frederick McKinley Jones, the man behind the innovation
The story of this innovation is linked to Frederick McKinley Jones (1893-1961), a self-taught engineer and inventor who developed the first practical and reliable cooling system for vehicles in Minnesota.
Jones had worked as a mechanic, electrician, and sound equipment specialist before collaborating with businessman Joseph A. Numero. In the late 1930s, he began developing a refrigeration unit capable of withstanding the vibrations and harsh conditions of road travel.
In 1938, Numero founded the US Thermo Control Company in Minneapolis, which would later become Thermo King. Jones served as vice president of engineering and in 1939 filed a patent for one of his first refrigerated transport systems.
The major breakthrough came with the so-called Model C, developed in 1941. Unlike the earlier units mounted under the vehicle, this equipment was more compact and installed on the front of the trailer, an arrangement that would eventually become standard and can still be seen on refrigerated trucks today. The Minnesota Historical Society considers this model an innovation that revolutionized both agriculture and military transport.
During World War II, these systems enabled the transport of food, medicine, and blood plasma to hospitals and battlefronts. After the war, their commercial use grew rapidly, giving rise to the modern cold chain.
Frederick McKinley Jones received more than sixty patents during his lifetime, around forty of them related to refrigeration. In 1991, he posthumously became the first African American to be awarded the U.S. National Medal of Technology.
Coin design
The reverse side shows a typical 1940s truck equipped with one of the first refrigeration units installed on its front. The choice of this vehicle immediately identifies the moment when refrigerated transport began to acquire its modern form.
On the side of the truck appear several symbols alluding to the different temperature-sensitive products whose large-scale transport was made possible thanks to this innovation.
The design includes the following inscriptions:
“UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” —United States of America—.
"MINNESOTA".
“MOBILE REFRIGERATION” —Mobile Refrigeration—.
Although the coin does not feature the portrait or name of Frederick McKinley Jones, the truck and refrigeration unit depicted directly allude to the work developed by the inventor and the company founded in Minnesota.
The reverse was designed by Beth Zaiken, a member of the United States Mint's Artistic Infusion Program, and modeled by medal artist Joseph V. Noorigian.
A special obverse for the 250th anniversary of the United States
The obverse, common to all coins in the series, shows a profile representation of the Statue of Liberty, accompanied by the inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “$1”.
The design also incorporates a private brand in the shape of a gear, a symbol of industry and innovation. In the 2026 issues, this element also includes the Liberty Bell and the number “250,” referring to the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, proclaimed in 1776.
The incuse on the edge appears the year “2026”, the corresponding mint mark and the motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM” —Out of many, one—.
Things to keep in mind
The coin will go on sale on July 28 in rolls of 25 pieces and bags of 100 coins, from the Philadelphia and Denver mints.
Presentation Mint PriceProduct limit
Roll of 25 coins Denver (D) $61 8,400 rolls
Roll of 25 coins Philadelphia (P) $61 7,350 rolls
Bag of 100 coins Denver (D) $154.50 3,150 bags
Bag of 100 coins Philadelphia (P) $154.50 2,950 bags
These quantities correspond only to the limits of each commercial presentation and should not be confused with the final mintage. The United States Mint expressly states that the coin does not currently have a maximum mintage limit.
Coin characteristics
Feature Detail
Country USA
State represented Minnesota
Series American Innovation
Year 2026
Face value 1 dollar
Composition Copper, zinc, manganese, and nickel
Weight 8.1 g
Diameter 26.49 mm
Singing Reeded with incuse inscriptions
Mint Philadelphia (P), Denver (D) and San Francisco (S, Proof)
Reverse designer Beth Zaiken
Sculptor of the reverse Joseph V. Noorigan
Front design Justin Kunz
Sculptor of the obverse Phebe Hemphill
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