CCAC Recommends Five Designs for 2027 Youth Sports Quarters: Golf, Baseball, Soccer, Softball, and Snowboarding

A New Era for the Quarter: Sports Come to Circulating U.S. Coinage

At its February 24, 2026 meeting, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) recommended five reverse designs for the inaugural year of the 2027 Youth Sports Quarters program — the first program in American numismatic history to dedicate circulating quarters to youth athletics. The CCAC's selections cover golf, baseball, soccer, softball, and snowboarding, with George Washington continuing on the obverse of all five coins.

The program was authorized by Public Law 116-330, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which established a framework for rotating quarter reverses through 2030. The Youth Sports program runs from 2027 through 2030, issuing up to five sports-themed designs per year — a potential total of up to 20 unique designs across the program's lifespan. The coins are produced at Philadelphia (P), Denver (D), and San Francisco (S, proof only) Mints.

The CCAC Scoring System

The CCAC uses a scored voting methodology where each of the 11 committee members assigns up to 3 points per design candidate. With 11 members, the maximum theoretical score is 33 points. Designs are ranked by total score, and when two candidates tie, the committee conducts a roll-call voice vote to determine the final recommendation.

The Five Winning Designs

GOLF-07: A golf ball rising off a tee with a female golfer silhouette mid-swing, capturing the moment of impact. This design tied with GOLF-04 and was selected by roll-call vote.

BASE-01: A catcher reaching for a ball with a stadium backdrop and crowd in the distance. Scored 22 out of 33 points. The CCAC recommended modifying the design to add catcher mask detail for improved visual clarity at circulation scale.

SOCC-07: A female soccer player silhouette kicking against a dynamic ball-pattern background. The highest clear-winner of the session at 28 out of 33 points.

SOFT-04A: A dynamic batting scene with a motion arc suggesting the swing's power. Scored 21 out of 33 points. The "A" suffix denotes a modified variant of the original SOFT-04 candidate.

SNOW-03: A snowboarder executing a mid-air trick against a mountain landscape backdrop. Tied with SNOW-08 and was selected by roll-call vote.

The Runner-Ups

Two categories went to roll-call votes due to ties. The designs that narrowly missed selection are worth examining, as they represent serious contenders that the CCAC was closely divided on:

GOLF-04: The golf runner-up. Tied with GOLF-07 on scored voting before losing the roll-call.

SNOW-08: The snowboarding runner-up. Tied with SNOW-03 on scored voting before losing the roll-call.

Design Portfolio Presentation

Each design candidate in the official U.S. Mint portfolio is rendered on a circular coin template with a small inset thumbnail. These are official U.S. Mint candidate design renders — created by the Mint's own sculptors and engravers — submitted to the CCAC before the final recommendations are made to the Treasury Secretary. The portfolio renderings show how the designs would actually appear on a struck coin, including the quarter's edge lettering and border.

Why This Program Matters

The Youth Sports Quarters represent a significant departure from previous quarter programs, which focused on geography (State Quarters, America the Beautiful, National Parks), history (Washington Crossing the Delaware), and people (American Women Quarters). This is the first quarter program explicitly designed around youth athletic activity — an intentional choice to connect younger Americans to coin collecting.

The sports selected for 2027 span a wide demographic range: golf and baseball represent traditional American sporting culture; soccer reflects the fastest-growing youth sport in the country (over 3 million registered youth players); softball honors one of the most widely played women's sports; and snowboarding acknowledges winter sports and the growing importance of action sports culture.

With up to 20 designs over four years, the program also gives collectors multiple collecting strategies: complete sets by year, complete sets by sport across years, or mint mark sets. Quarter collectors who tracked the State Quarters and America the Beautiful programs will find familiar territory — and new opportunities — in this series.

What Comes Next

The CCAC's recommendations now go to the Secretary of the Treasury, who makes the final design selections. The Secretary is not bound by CCAC recommendations but typically follows them. The U.S. Mint will then produce the master hubs and dies for 2027 striking. Expect official announcements from the Mint regarding release dates, mintages, and collector product offerings in late 2026.

For collectors interested in the broader quarter series, explore the quarter series in the NumisDex catalog.