US Coins for 2026
JFK_Collector
Posts: 127 ✭✭✭
I understand that the US Mint and the Government wants to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Independence, but what does the Mayflower Compact, the Gettysburg Address, or even the US Constitution have to do with the Revolutionary War?
There are several other people and / or events that would be more appropriate to commemorate on our coinage for our Independence then the three mentioned above. I am surprised that they didn't throw something in from the War of 1812 or the Civil Rights act of 1964.
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To me there all important things in American history, it shouldn't be forgotten, jmo
Agreed that they are all important in American history, but the celebration is about the 250th anniversary of our Independence, just a narrow portion of our history. There are so many things that would be more relevant to commemorate for our Independence from Great Britan then the three mentioned above, from the Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre, first shot heard around the world, all the way up to the capture of Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris.
I agree @JFK_Collector, I would have liked to have seen all the coinage tied specifically to the Declaration of Independence and to important Revolutionary War events and figures. It is a pity, for example, that Patrick Henry nor his famous attributed quotation "Give me Liberty or Give me Death!" has never been depicted on a US Coin. On the other hand, I believe the designs and themes chosen are an improvement over those originally planned.
The minuteman on the 1925 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial commemorative half dollar would have been a good design choice.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Ultimately it’s about pleasing the most number of people. I’d rather have the designs coming out this year than many of the ones over the past 20 some odd years.
They were never going to stick to the events surrounding the Revolution. You were going to get "interpretive" themes like 1964 civil rights, Hidden Figures and Harvey Milk etc. See the past threads by the CCAC chairman for insight into how they think.
In my opinion, they scrapped all that at the last minute and tried at least, to stick with more traditional themes, which is why we got a bunch of recycled designs on the quarters.
There was nothing about Hidden Figures or Harvey Milk among the proposed designs. The recommended themes were the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, Abolitionism, Suffrage and Civil Rights. -- https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/ccac-reviews-multiple-options-for-2026-quarter-dollars
This part is true.
Harvey Milk was hyperbole. However, Casabrown was advocating for Hidden Figures which is why I said to check out past threads.
You said "You were going to get..." which implies the CCAC recommended designs, not what one other forum member wanted.
They could have done a better job of that. They could have used classic designs to do a sort of poor man's version of best of the mint. Especially with how precious metal prices are through the roof.
They would have needed to choose those topics a few years ago before the whole process got started. I think they went into the cookie jar to pull out what they did after the design choices were already made.
early on one of my complaints was the choices not being revolution related. een the "best of" coins are rehashes or could have been "not best of but most symbolic" or coins from 1826, 1876, 1926 (76 still in circ). something... best of? for 250th? the reuse gold coin ideas from recent years? ugh
So if your grandmother was having a 100th birthday party, you would only post baby pictures? No wedding pictures or pictures of her kids or grandkids allowed.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
You were going to get "interpretive" themes like 1964 civil rights, Hidden Figures and Harvey Milk etc.
Sheesh........don't make me do the meme.
A more accurate analogy would be the celebration of her parents carrying her to term and giving birth. You would honor the parents who brought her forth into the world and get pictures and stories from that perspective.
Instead, the CCAC wanted to honor cousin Eddie who helped set up the folding chairs at the party.
The quarters honor the formation of the country/important moments when it could have been all lost.
The mayflower shows the original pioneers, if they did not make it England would have an as big hold in the new world.
The Declaration of Independence, and revolutionary war ones are self explanatory
The U.S. constitution quarter shows the framework for our country and rights.
The Gettysburg address/civil war quarter showcases the civil war, which under different circumstances could have ended very differently.
I think all these designs are rightfully put, and while woman’s suffrage, civil rights, and the abolishment of slavery are all very rightful topics to have on coins, they weren’t essential for the nation to survive. There is a time and a place for everything IMO.