Program Overview

The Semiquincentennial quarters are five all-new quarter designs the U.S. Mint is releasing throughout 2026 to mark 250 years of American independence. Every coin is dual-dated 1776 ~ 2026, and every design covers both sides of the coin, not just the reverse.

That is a real break from the last two quarter programs. Since 1932, every circulating quarter kept George Washington on the obverse while only the reverse changed, through the 50 State Quarters, America the Beautiful, and American Women Quarters series. For 2026, only one of the five designs, the Revolutionary War quarter, keeps Washington at all. It is the first time since the Standing Liberty quarter ended in 1930 that circulating quarters have dropped Washington from most of a series.

The program runs for 2026 only, unlike the multi-year Wheat Cent or American Women Quarters series. All five designs are being released this single year, so this guide will fill in as each one reaches circulation.

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The Five Designs

• Mayflower Compact, released January 5, 2026, the first coin of the series
• Revolutionary War, released March 23, 2026, the only 2026 design to keep George Washington
• Declaration of Independence, released June 1, 2026, and the coin driving most of this year’s headlines
• U.S. Constitution, expected late August 2026 (guide coming once it releases)
• Gettysburg Address, expected late October 2026, closing out the series (guide coming once it releases)

The Mint has not locked in firm on-sale dates for the last two designs, so treat late August and late October as a window rather than a promise. We will add full guides for both as soon as they enter circulation.

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Program Specifications

Specs are consistent across the series for circulating coins, only the obverse, reverse, and mintage figures change from design to design.

• Composition (standard, circulating clad): 91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel
• Diameter: 24.26 mm (0.955 in)
• Weight: 5.67 g standard
• Edge: Reeded
• Mints: Philadelphia (P) and Denver (D), no San Francisco circulating option this series

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Is This Series Worth Coin Roll Hunting?

For most of the run, yes, in the sense that it is genuinely fun to find a brand new obverse design in your change for the first time since 1930. Straight mintage-wise, these are common coins. The Mint had already struck well over 500 million 2026-dated quarters across all designs combined by mid-2026, so a plain circulated example of any design is worth face value.

The real story this year is a single special release: 250,000 Declaration of Independence quarters were struck with a small “July 4th” privy mark and no mint mark, then mixed randomly into circulation nationwide rather than sold. At the Declaration quarter’s production pace, that is roughly 1 in 800 odds if you are specifically hunting Declaration quarters from mid-2026. For the full breakdown, including the NGC and PCGS cash bounties and where hunters are actually finding them, see our complete July 4th privy quarter guide. A separate batch of only 250 individually numbered 2.5 ounce silver strikes of that same privy design were struck for auction and will never reach circulation. Full details are on the Declaration of Independence quarter page.

There is also a genuine mint error already confirmed on the very first design: a 2026-P Mayflower Compact quarter with a “struck-through” error, caused by a foreign object stuck to the die, creating an incuse impression in the motto and between the dual dates. Details are on the Mayflower Compact quarter page.

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What Comes Before and After This Series?

The Semiquincentennial Quarters follow the American Women Quarters Program, which ran 2022 through 2025. Unlike that series, or the 50 State Quarters before it, this one is a single-year release covering all five designs in 2026 only. What replaces Washington’s long-running quarter obverse after this year has not been announced.