Legislation authorizing the American Innovation $1 Coin Program was approved by the United States Senate on June 20, 2018, amending an earlier House bill, and the Senate-amended bill was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on June 27, 2018.

[3] The program was officially launched on December 14, 2018, with the release of a special introductory coin commemorating George Washington's signing of the first American patent into law, for a new method of making potash and pearl ash.

[4] However, these coins are not being released into circulation, and are only available at a premium in bags and rolls directly from the United States Mint.

[5] All coins issued through this program will have the same obverse design showing the Statue of Liberty, and will contain the words: "In God We Trust" and "$1".

[6][7] Coins will be issued depicting designs which symbolize "the willingness to explore, to discover, and to create one’s own destiny", according to the U.S. Mint's narrative.