AL Daily News: U.S. House passes Aderholt’s bill to create a $2.50 coin for America’s 250th annivers
Goldbully
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Now this is a new denomination..............$2.50 coin
U.S. House passes Aderholt’s bill to create a $2.50 coin for America’s 250th anniversary
2h ago • News
By Alex Angle
WASHINGTON — In honor of the signing of the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago, the U.S. House unanimously approved legislation Monday to make $2.50 coins to commemorate the anniversary.
The bicameral, bipartisan $2.50 for America’s 250th Act would authorize the U.S. Treasury to mint a collectible $2.50 commemorative coin this year. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleville, sponsored the bill.
“This coin will memorialize and celebrate our moment in American history,” Aderholt said on the House floor.
The legislation also calls for a viability study on a potential circulating $2.50 coin for everyday use. The coins would feature the historical design originally issued for America’s 150th anniversary coins.
“The 250th anniversary coin for the 250th anniversary provides an opportunity for the American people to engage with and to take personal ownership of their national heritage through a tangible and lasting tribute,” Aderholt said.
The design on the front of the coin would bear the image of allegorical liberty, wielding the Declaration of Independence. On the back would be the image of Independence Hall as it was displayed on the 150th anniversary coin. The coins would also be inscribed with the “Semiquincentennial of American Independence.”
The bill text calls for the U.S. Mint to issue the special edition coins before July 4.
“Every citizen deserves the opportunity to acquire such a coin as a means to connect the founding principles to liberty, democracy and self-governance,” Aderholt said.
All of Alabama’s House delegation members are cosponsors of the bill. A bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-WY, introduced a companion bill in the upper chamber. The legislation now moves to the Senate.
The House also passed a bill Monday to create a 250th anniversary time capsule to be buried in the Capitol Visitor Center and sealed until 2276.
Comments
What would it be made out of?
The images look like a vintage silver commem.
Awesome !!
It would have been nice had they thought of doing this earlier to give the Mint some time for creative input.
Oh, and no -- a circulating 2.50 coin is not going to work, not that many dollar coins circulate.
But then again perhaps people in Alabama still use a lot of coins in transactions, around here it is most credit/debit/phone swipes.
Obviously it's symbolic. No one is going to retool vending machines etc for a $2.50 coin.
It is actually a vintage GOLD commemorative coin. It was issued in 1926.
Showing Independence Hall on the reverse is a good idea, but I hope that the mint can improve upon the obverse. I also hope that the coin can be executed in higher relief this time. The piece from 100 years ago was in low relief and the design suffered as a result.
On some pieces the golden sun rays behind Independence Hall have a kinetic look to them. In other words, when you swirl the coin under a strong light, it looks as the sun is rising behind the building. Most of the coins do not display this feature.
I don’t think that Americans will use a $2.50 coin in circulation. It will have to be larger than a quarter, or there will be confusion over it as there was with the Susan B. Anthony Dollars. In really coins are on their way out of the everyday economy as much as I hate to say it.
A one year deal maybe somewhere?
I agree. Plus many Americans are too stupid to be able to figure out the math of a $2.50 coin in commerce.
They need to get the time on the clock right so they can find the national treasure.
The bill calls for the issuance of a collectable coin and separately for a study about issuing such a denomination for circulation.
The collectable coin would be an instant hit. The circulating coin might never make it past the study stage, so there's nothing to stress over.
IMHO, the $2.50 gold commemorative issued in 1926 is beautiful. I hope the 2026 one is equally so.
Just do a collectable one year Gold $2.50.
That would be kool with a K.
Pete
Like there is nothing more important to legislate by Congress than this coin, a coin that quite obviously, for multiple reasons , will never be in demand or circulate. And will likely get mutilated or “ stickered” with political slogans due to “ subject matter “. Gad !
As long as it's correctly themed, I would buy one.
Huh? The collector version would be in huge demand. Any circulation version would be a separate matter, and might never even come to fruition.
Huh, again? It's a classic design and no more susceptible to graffiti than the other 250th anniversary coins.
In silver or gold I'd probably be a buyer with that design...
I'd imagine it'd do just fine as a collector issue and not circulation-level mintage.
"The legislation also calls for a viability study on a potential circulating $2.50 coin for everyday use." YESS!!! I have been wanting this for a very long time, the eagle denomination is necessary to make coins viable for use again.
I remember the buzz over the 1776-1976 Bicentennial coins. We all know how that turned out.
Waste of time and money
I thought we were going to save money by not producing coins
I vote NO
Mike
My Indians
Dansco Set
I guess we found out who's putting all the stickers on my pocket change...
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Just cents. Maybe nickels. A circulating $2.50 coin would make the Mint a fortune - even if it never left the vault. Costs 25 cents to make and immediately books $2.25 in seigniorage. They should make a couple billion of them and just bury them on the grounds at West Point.
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Along with the SBA and Ikes
Mike
My Indians
Dansco Set
is he doing it while you sleep?
Sadly, I think they ran out of those. But you only book about 75 cents in seigniorage on those.
Most efficient option is to Mint a couple dozen $1 trillion coins and put them safely in the Mint vault.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
As a coin forum, It's quite ironic that we have forgotten what coins are for. Coins are meant to circulate, be used to purchase goods. Not only as a historic commodity that we collectors can fawn over. 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 dollar coins would circulate today, and with about 250 years of precedent to back it up. Due to inflation, a quarter just 100 years ago is worth about $5 today, and a penny back then is worth as much as a quarter today.
Another example is the morgan dollar, it would be equivalent to minting a $30 coin today, and I know those circulated.
The amount of inactivity concerning coins is very frightening, letting the same few denominations circulate while only devaluing throughout the decades is a recipe for disaster, action must be done
People just don't like to carry coins. Give me the choice of a $20 bill or a $20 coin, I'm taking the bill. Take away the bill so I have to use a $20 coin and I'll just use a credit card or electronic wallet.
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https://capitaloneshopping.com/research/cashless-statistics/
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Heck, give me the choice of using a $20 bill or a $20 coin and I'll use a credit card all the time!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Since I don't eat fast food anymore I haven't used cash, bills or coins in a very long time!
CC is all I use, for everything at BM and onlne
Mike
My Indians
Dansco Set
You are more than welcome to send me $20 with either method. 100% your choice.
Venmo?
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
C-SPAN coverage of the House approval for the $2.50 coins.
@jmlanzaf Good points concerning the cashless society, especially in cities- I hadn't really considered that. Concerning the bills vs coins, I too would much rather carry a bill, but the 2.5, 5, 10 coins could be used more as change as opposed to quarters and such, which are frankly meaningless. Coins also cost roughly the same as most bills, (around 7 cents compared to the 10 cents of a dollar coin) and coins last about 5x longer than your average bill. This was the reason that the mint made the sac dollars in the first place. A size reduction would be necessary though, at least for the higher denominations to make them worth carrying.
All true. But I just don't think we're going back to carrying a lot of coins
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I think rural areas would use them, similar to how morgans only really circulated out west. As for cities, any hard currency will never return in any substantial amount.
I don't see it. Morgans in 1890 vs coins in 2026. I don't think the issue is rural versus urban. It's just convenience.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Hope they legislate that to the coin cannot be sold for more than face value
ahhhh. didn't they sell them for twice face? $5 seems fair
since we don't do 90% anymore, would this best be cranked out in 22k or 24k?
You would need a whole pocket full of $2.50 coins with the price of fast food today. A $20 coin would be more appropriate for that use.
Electromagnetic pulse 💥; no more digital. Problem solved.
Change please!
USAF (Ret.) 1985 - 2005. E-4B Aircraft Maint. Crew Chief and Contracting Officer.
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If I could pick up a few rolls at face value, I would select out a few keepers and have fun spending the rest. Neat idea. Reality is that I probably won't pick any up from the mint's over inflated prices unless a very low mintage caught my attention.
https://aderholt.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-aderholts-bipartisan-bill-create-commemorative-250-coin
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5616/text
i thought we were talking a comem
but no
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall mint and issue a $2.50 circulating coin upon determining that minting such coin is technically feasible, economically feasible, and not cost prohibitive.
please have coinstars reject them
circulating? i hope the senate puts a stop to this. no time to develop something. could be a size between a small dollar and an ike, but whose coin machines will be modified to count them?
(b) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of the Congress that the circulating coin described in section 5112(b)(b) of title 31, United States Code, should be minted and issued not later than July 4, 2026, or as soon as it is technically and economically feasible.
it's doomed!
It's right there in the title of the bill:
To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $2.50 numismatic coins and $2.50 circulating coins, and for other purposes
The first coin is a commemorative, i.e. "numismatic coins", made of clad or silver, or other metals as the Treasury decides. It would bear the same design as the 150th anniversary coin.
Then, a study would be undertaken to determine if it would be feasible to strike a $2.50 coin for circulation. It would start with the same design but that design could be changed later.
Well, I didn't see a $2.50 coin coming...last year I did say, "Maybe we should have added new denomination coin too, a 15¢ coin and maybe a 75¢ coin. With inflationary prices, perhaps a $5 or $10 dollar coin could be introduced as common pocket change."
Sadly, I agree. I gave a gas clerk $52..00 for a $37.00 purchase...he gave me back my original two singles plus the thirteen dollars change...I thought I would get a ten and a five. Now if I threw in a couple $2.50 coins....that would require a calculator!!!!