Getting rich off 'God-less' dollar coins (Jeff Cox)

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In error, the U.S. Mint minted thousands of the new $1 coins without the 'In God We Trust' inscription traditional on all its money.

By Jeff Cox -- CNNMoney.com

March 8, 2007 -- NEW YORK -- Some owners of the recently released George Washington Presidential coins unwittingly got a little more bang for their buck - and they have God to thank.

Due to a glitch that still has federal officials befuddled, the U.S. Mint produced thousands of the new $1 coins without the "In God We Trust" inscription traditional on all its money.

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The coins also are missing the "E Pluribus Unum" inscription, as well as a mint mark indicating whether they were produced in Philadelphia or Denver. Also, the coins are missing edge inscriptions specially made for the new dollar.

Sharp-eyed consumers who spotted the glitch and had the good fortune to put the god-less coins up for sale on the Internet fetched hundreds of dollars for each coin. The going price was about $200 on eBay late Wednesday afternoon.

While some saw humor in the Mint's mistake, officials weren't laughing.

"We take this matter very seriously because we consider quality control a high priority," Mint spokeswoman Becky Bailey said. "We are looking into the matter and considering a possible cause in the manufacturing process."

Mint officials said they were unsure how many of the erroneous coins made it into circulation, with one coin expert putting the number at about 50,000.