Semiquincentennial Circulating Coins 2026

2026 is the United States semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. To mark it, the U.S. Mint changed most of its circulating coins for this single year, and every one carries the dual date 1776 ~ 2026.

The authority comes from the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, Public Law 116-330, signed on January 13, 2021. It allowed the Treasury Secretary to redesign any circulating coin for 2026 and to issue up to five quarter designs, one of which had to recognize the role of women in the nation's founding or another major moment in its history. The Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee reviewed the designs before the Secretary approved them. The Mint unveiled them in Philadelphia on December 11, 2025, and started shipping the dime, the half dollar and the first quarter on January 5, 2026.

Don't confuse it with the bicentennial, the 200th anniversary, in 1976, when the quarter, half dollar and dollar received new reverses dated 1776-1976. Those coins are covered on our 1976 Bicentennial coins page.

In 2027 the dime returns to its previous design, and the quarter and half dollar begin a four-year program honoring youth sports and Paralympic sports.

Lincoln Cent

The 2026 Lincoln cent keeps Victor David Brenner's 1909 portrait and the union shield reverse used since 2010. The only change is the 1776 ~ 2026 date. It exists only in collector sets.

Jefferson Nickel

The 2026 Jefferson nickel keeps Jamie Franki's 2006 front-facing Jefferson, based on Rembrandt Peale's 1800 portrait, and Felix Schlag's Monticello as restored by John Mercanti in 2006. For this year the obverse shows 1776 and 2026 on two lines.

Emerging Liberty Dime

The Emerging Liberty dime is the program's biggest change. According to the Mint, it is the first dime since 1945 with Liberty on the front. Esao Andrews designed the obverse and Craig Campbell sculpted it: Liberty faces right with wind-swept hair, wearing a cap marked with stars and stripes. Eric David Custer's reverse shows an eagle in flight holding arrows, with LIBERTY OVER TYRANNY.

Mayflower Compact Quarter

The first quarter, the Mayflower Compact quarter, shipped in January. Its obverse shows two Pilgrims holding each other as they look out at the new land. Ronald D. Sanders designed it and Eric David Custer sculpted it. The reverse, from a design credited to Cyrus E. Dallin and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill, shows the Mayflower under full sail in heavy seas.

Revolutionary War Quarter

The Revolutionary War quarter has a George Washington portrait by Chief Engraver Joseph Menna. Its reverse, designed by Donna Weaver and sculpted by Craig Campbell, shows a Continental soldier at Valley Forge, where the army spent the winter of 1777-78. It was launched at Mount Vernon on March 23, 2026.

Declaration of Independence Quarter

The Declaration of Independence quarter has Thomas Jefferson on the front. The Mint lists the obverse artist as unknown. The reverse shows the Liberty Bell ringing, crack included, designed by Benjamin Sowards and sculpted by John P. McGraw. It entered circulation on May 25, 2026.

U.S. Constitution Quarter

The U.S. Constitution quarter has James Madison on the front, designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Don Everhart. The reverse, by Donna Weaver with sculpting by Phebe Hemphill, shows Independence Hall above the words WE THE PEOPLE. It was released on August 5, 2026.

Gettysburg Address Quarter

The last quarter, the Gettysburg Address quarter, has a careworn Abraham Lincoln designed by Justin Kunz and sculpted by Don Everhart. Beth Zaiken's reverse, sculpted by Craig Campbell, shows two clasped hands and the phrase A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY. Its release ceremony was set for October 21, 2026, at Gettysburg National Military Park.

Enduring Liberty Half Dollar

The Enduring Liberty half dollar replaces Kennedy and the coat of arms for one year, the half's first design change since 1976 according to the Mint. Donna Weaver's obverse, sculpted by John P. McGraw, is a close view of the Statue of Liberty's face. Beth Zaiken's reverse, sculpted by Darla Jackson, shows Liberty passing her torch to a new generation, with the inscription KNOWLEDGE IS THE ONLY GUARDIAN OF TRUE LIBERTY.

• Dual date. Every coin in the program reads 1776 ~ 2026 on the obverse.
• Mint mark location. All of them carry the mint mark on the obverse. On the dime it sits to the right of Liberty's chin, above IN GOD WE TRUST. On the quarters it is in the right field beside the portrait, just inside the date, and on the Mayflower quarter it is beside the second Pilgrim's head. The nickel's mark is below the Liberty signature near the rim, the half's is under the Statue's chin near the bottom edge, and the cent's is below the date.
• P and D. Circulation coins come from Philadelphia (P) and Denver (D). The Philadelphia cent has no mint mark.
• S proofs. San Francisco proofs come in two sets. The clad Proof Set has copper-nickel dimes, quarters and halves. The Silver Proof Set has the same three denominations in 99.9% silver. Both sets include a standard-metal cent and nickel.
• Special issues. For the Fourth of July the Mint released 250,000 Declaration quarters with a "July 4" privy mark and no mint mark, and mixed them into circulation. The missing mint mark is intended, not an error. In September the Mint shipped 250,000 halves struck at West Point, with a W mint mark and a 9-11-01 ALWAYS REMEMBER privy mark.
• Where to look. The nickel, dime and quarters turn up in change. The Mint says the standard half has circulated since early 2026, and it also sold halves in rolls and bags. The cent is available only in Mint sets.

Every 2026 design is new, so its errors and die varieties are still being found and reported as collectors search their change. One thing that is not an error: the July 4 privy quarters have no mint mark by design. What our catalog lists for the program so far, by type and newest first, follows.

• Cent: 2.5% copper, balance zinc; 2.500 g; 19.05 mm; plain edge
• Nickel: 25% nickel, balance copper; 5.000 g; 21.21 mm; plain edge
• Dime (clad): 8.33% nickel, balance copper; 2.268 g; 17.91 mm; reeded edge
• Quarter (clad): 8.33% nickel, balance copper; 5.670 g; 24.26 mm; reeded edge
• Half dollar (clad): 8.33% nickel, balance copper; 11.340 g; 30.61 mm; reeded edge
• Silver proofs: 99.9% silver. The Mint gives fine silver content of 0.079 troy oz for the dime, 0.199 troy oz for each quarter and 0.399 troy oz for the half, or 1.473 troy oz across the seven silver coins in the set.

Clad proofs share the specifications above. The cent and nickel in the Silver Proof Set are struck in their standard metals.