Semiquincentennial Coin Program Media Kit

Designs for the 2026 Semiquincentennial circulating coins were created by the Mint’s Medallic Artists and Artistic Infusion Program designers based on guidance from federal advisors and program stakeholders. Final approval came from the Secretary of the Treasury.

Yes. Like the Bicentennial Coin & Medal Program, the coins will have dual dates. The circulating nickel, dime, and quarters--as well as the collectible penny, half dollar, and dollar coin--will be dated "1776 ~ 2026."

In 2027, the dime will revert to the immediately previous design. The 2027 reverse designs for the quarter and half dollar will celebrate Youth and Paralympic Sports as part of a new four-year program authorized by the Public Law 116-330.

Yes. In honor of America's 250th anniversary, the Mint will issue a variety of exciting new collectible products.

• The collectible half dollar will see its first design change since the 1976 Bicentennial. These coins, as well as the collectible penny, will bear a "1776 ~ 2026" dual date.
• The American Buffalo, American Eagle, and Morgan & Peace coins will also have the dual date of “1776 ~ 2026.” These coins, as well as the 2026 American Innovation $1 Coins, will include a unique Liberty Bell privy mark inscribed with the numeral “250.” The Innovation coins' privy mark also incorporates the gear symbol that has been on the obverse of coins in the series since 2019.
• The American Eagle Platinum Proof Coin series “The Charters of Freedom” launches in 2026 to celebrate our Nation’s founding documents—the Declaration of Independence (2026), the U.S. Constitution (2027), and the Bill of Rights (2028).
• The 2026 Native American $1 Coin honors the Oneidas at Valley Forge. The coin's reverse depicts Polly Cooper, an Oneida woman who, along with her tribe, aided the starving Continental Army in achieving independence from Great Britain during the American Revolution.
• Five Best of the Mint Coin and Medal Sets will also be available only in 2026. These special gold coin and silver medal sets include the "250" Liberty Bell privy mark as well:

(1) 1916 Mercury Dime Coin & Medal Set

(2) 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter Coin & Medal Set

(3) 1916 Walking Liberty Half Dollar Coin & Medal Set

(4) 1804 Silver Dollar Coin & Medal Set

(5) 1907 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Coin & Medal Set

More products will be announced at a later date. Check back soon for updates.

Yes. Although no longer a circulating coin as of 2025, the collectible penny can be purchased in annual sets and will feature a “1776 ~ 2026” dual date.

The obverse design features a determined Liberty as the winds of revolution waft through her hair. With steadfast resolve, she faces the tyranny of the British monarchy. Her liberty cap bears stars and stripes, at once a symbol of our burgeoning Nation and a reference to early American coinage. Inscriptions are “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “1776 ~ 2026.”

The reverse design features an eagle in flight carrying arrows in its talons, representing the American Revolution and the colonists’ fight for independence. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “ONE DIME,” and “LIBERTY OVER TYRANNY.”

The obverse design features two Pilgrims embracing as they behold the New World. The Pilgrims did not arrive at their intended destination; therefore, they did not hold a charter to establish a colony at Plymouth. Instead, the Mayflower Compact, signed November 21, 1620, established the colony as a mutual enterprise, and its force of law depended on the consent of the colonists themselves to promote the common good. The Mayflower Compact is considered a precursor to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The inscriptions are “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “1776 ~ 2026,” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.”

The reverse design features the Mayflower, with full sails over rough seas, heading west. The Pilgrims aboard sought religious freedom in the New World, eventually landing at Cape Cod and settling in what later became Plymouth, Massachusetts. The inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “LIBERTY,” “MAYFLOWER COMPACT,” and “25¢.”

The obverse design features George Washington, the first President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The inscriptions are “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “1776 ~ 2026.”

The reverse design shows a Continental Army soldier at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Washington’s forces endured defeat at the Battle of Brandywine and faced disease and extreme cold during their winter encampment from 1777 to 1778. Independence had been declared the previous July, but the Second Continental Congress was forced to flee Philadelphia to evade a British attack. The soldier’s resolute gaze shows his will to overcome the trials of the war in pursuit of liberty. The inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “LIBERTY,” “25¢,” and “REVOLUTIONARY WAR.”

The obverse design features Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States. The inscriptions are “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “1776 ~ 2026.”

The reverse design depicts the Liberty Bell ringing. While it is unclear whether it rang out in July 1776, the Liberty Bell often rang to draw people near and share an announcement, or a declaration. The Bell’s crack is visible; the fragility of the Bell echoing the fragility of a young nation at its founding. The inscriptions are “THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE,” “QUARTER DOLLAR,” “LIBERTY,” and “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”

The obverse design features James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, popularly known as the “Father of the Constitution” for his role in drafting and promoting the foundational document. The inscriptions are “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “1776 ~ 2026.”

The reverse design depicts Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Liberty Bell was housed and where both the Declaration and U.S. Constitution were written, debated, and signed. The inscription “WE THE PEOPLE” and the image of Independence Hall together highlight a founding principle laid out in the Constitution: specifically, that our government is grounded in the consent of the governed. The inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “WE THE PEOPLE,” “LIBERTY,” “U.S. CONSTITUTION,” and “QUARTER DOLLAR.”

The obverse design features America’s 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. Today, the Gettysburg Address is recognized as one of the most poignant and moving speeches in American history. Lincoln paid tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and appealed to all Americans to advance the principles for which the soldiers gave their lives. This portrait captures both the profound burden of war on his weathered face, while his steady, forward-looking gaze reflects an unshakable resolve and determination to move the country forward as one indivisible nation. The inscriptions are “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “1776 ~ 2026.”

The reverse design features the inscription “A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY,” a passage from President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Two hands grasping each other represent Lincoln’s efforts to hold the Nation together and his appeal to Americans to honor the dead and ensure “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” The inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”, “A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY,” “25¢,” and “GETTYSBURG ADDRESS.”

The forward-looking 2006 nickel obverse (heads) was inspired by the Rembrandt Peale painting of 1800. As with the 2005 Westward Journey nickels, the word “Liberty” in Thomas Jefferson's own handwriting is inscribed on the nickel obverse. Jamie Franki's obverse was selected from 147 design candidates submitted by U.S. Mint medallic artists and Artistic Infusion Program artists.

For one year only, the nickel's obverse will feature the dual dates of “1776 ~ 2026.”

The reverse's classic rendition of Jefferson's Monticello estate by Felix Schlag (1938) was carefully restored in 2006 by U.S. Mint Medallic Artist John Mercanti, using Schlag's original work. Over more than 65 years of production, the United States Mint slightly modified the reverse design for technical reasons. 

The obverse design shows a close-up view of the Statue of Liberty, her steadfast gaze looking outward as if toward the future. The inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “1776 ~ 2026.”

The reverse design features Liberty passing her torch, its flame trailing with the momentum of purpose, to a new generation. Inscriptions are “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “HALF DOLLAR,” and “KNOWLEDGE IS THE ONLY GUARDIAN OF TRUE LIBERTY.”

The obverse (heads) of the one-cent coin features Victor David Brenner's likeness of President Lincoln, introduced in 1909, and the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST.” For one year only, it will include the dual dates of “1776 ~ 2026.”

Since 2010, the reverse of the penny has featured a design emblematic of President Lincoln's preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country. The design depicts a union shield with a scroll draped across. The 13 vertical stripes of the shield represent the states joined in one compact union to support the federal government, represented by the horizontal bar above.

Although this coin will no longer circulate in pocket change in 2026, it can still be purchased as a collectible from the United States Mint.