New Quarters Marking America’s 250th Birthday Enter Circulation

WASHINGTON — New coins commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding began entering circulation on Monday, the first in a series of special designs the U.S. Mint will release throughout the semiquincentennial year.

The first coin to reach the public is a quarter honoring the Mayflower Compact, depicting two Pilgrims. All five commemorative quarters in the program carry the dual date “1776 ~ 2026.”

The Five Quarters

The remaining quarters, to be released over the course of the year, honor the Revolutionary War, featuring George Washington; the Declaration of Independence, featuring Thomas Jefferson; the U.S. Constitution, featuring James Madison; and the Gettysburg Address.

The special coins were authorized by Congress in 2021 in anticipation of the anniversary, launching a lengthy design process that included focus groups and public outreach.

Advisory Committee Overruled

The designs have stirred controversy. The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee had recommended a set of five quarters that, in addition to marking the nation’s founding, would honor later struggles to realize its ideals. Its recommendations included a coin featuring Frederick Douglass to mark the abolition of slavery, one highlighting the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, and one depicting 6-year-old Ruby Bridges to celebrate school desegregation and the civil rights movement.

When the Trump administration unveiled the anniversary coins weeks before their release, those three designs had been replaced by coins featuring the Pilgrims, the Revolutionary War and the Gettysburg Address, according to NPR.

Donald Scarinci, who has served on the advisory committee for two decades, told NPR that Congress had designed the process to bring together people from different regions and perspectives to reach consensus. He said the committee’s goal had been to honor the nation’s progress on civil rights and women’s suffrage alongside its founding.

Proposed Trump Coin

In a break with tradition, the Mint is also considering issuing a $1 coin bearing the likeness of President Donald Trump. Placing a sitting president on currency has historically been avoided as a symbol associated with monarchy, and the proposal has drawn pushback from some lawmakers.

Collecting the New Coins

The quarters will enter circulation through the normal banking system, meaning many Americans will encounter them in everyday change. The Mint also sells collector versions. Commemorative circulating quarters, such as the 50 State Quarters program that began in 1999, have historically been popular with collectors and helped spark broad public interest in coin collecting.

The coin program is one of many initiatives planned for the semiquincentennial, which culminates on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.