Born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1758, James Monroe was exceptionally qualified to serve as the United States’ fifth president. Not only was he a Revolutionary War soldier, he was champion of the Bill of Rights, U. S. diplomat in Europe, governor of Virginia, senator, secretary of state, secretary of war, and negotiator of the Louisiana Purchase, before being overwhelmingly elected president in 1817. His time in office is known as the “Era of Good Feelings” for the peace and booming economy the country enjoyed. The Monroe Doctrine, a foundation of American foreign policy introduced in an 1823 message to Congress, warned European powers against expansionism in the Western Hemisphere.

The obverse depicts an image of James Monroe and his years served in office. The reverse shows a view of the Statue of Liberty that is common to all presidential dollar coins, along with the inscriptions "United States of America" and "$1." These coins feature edge-incused inscriptions of the year of issue, "E Pluribus Unum," "In God We Trust" and the mint mark. Due to the minting process used on the circulating coins, the edge-incused inscription positions will vary with each coin.