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U.S. Mint Unveils 2026 Coin Designs, Replacing Panel-Backed Civil Rights Themes With Founding-Era Imagery

Lawmakers are responding with a proposal to prohibit living presidents on coins as a potential Trump $1 design remains unresolved.

Overview

  • The Mint revealed the Semiquincentennial lineup on Dec. 10 in Philadelphia, featuring five quarters on the Mayflower Compact, Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Gettysburg Address.
  • Circulating nickels, dimes and quarters will carry the dual date 1776 ~ 2026 and be struck in Philadelphia and Denver, with general circulation beginning in early 2026.
  • The quarter set supplants advisory-committee recommendations from 2024 that emphasized abolitionism, women’s suffrage and civil rights, including concepts featuring Frederick Douglass and Ruby Bridges; the Mint offered no public explanation for the change.
  • The dime depicts Lady Liberty and an eagle, the half-dollar will be a non-circulating collectible showing the Statue of Liberty passing a torch, and the penny will appear only in collector sets with the dual date.
  • Senate Democrats introduced a bill to bar currency featuring a living or sitting president, while officials have discussed—but not finalized—designs for a possible 2026 $1 coin featuring President Trump.