As authorized by Public Law 116-330, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act, designs for the 2026 circulating coins will be selected in accordance with the design selection process developed by the Secretary of the Treasury in consultation with the United States Semiquincentennial Commission. To start the process, the Mint established thematic concepts in collaboration with advisors from the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and Records Administration, Library of Congress, National Park Service, and feedback solicited from the public.
Mint artists will submit candidate designs for review by subject matter experts, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The Secretary of the Treasury will then select the final designs for each coin.
Design Selection Process
The Mint developed a design selection process in consultation with the United States Semiquincentennial Commission.
Step One – Identify Liaisons and Advisors
Appropriate officials at the United States Semiquincentennial Commission will identify one or more individuals to serve as liaisons to the United States Mint for this coin program.
The Mint will identify other appropriate advisors, including subject matter experts, to assist the Mint throughout the process.
Step Two – Develop Criteria to Guide Design Development
After consulting with the Commission on its strategy for a national commemoration, the Mint will identify design objectives for this program.
The Mint will subsequently draft criteria for developing and evaluating design concepts/themes, consulting with its advisors as necessary.
Step Three – Develop and Finalize Design Concepts/Themes
Working with its advisors, the Mint will develop proposed design concepts/themes that fulfill the design objectives and the criteria, and are both accurate and appropriate.
Step Four – Solicit and Process Public Input
The Mint, consulting with its advisors as appropriate, will develop and execute a plan for soliciting public input on the proposed design concepts/themes. Based on feedback from the general public, the Mint will work with the advisors to finalize the design concepts/themes to be used in developing coin candidate designs to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country.
Step Five – Design Development
Using the design concepts/themes, the Mint will develop coin candidate designs, focusing on aesthetic beauty, accuracy, appropriateness, and coinability. The Mint will collaborate with its advisors as appropriate to ensure historical accuracy and proper representation with respect to candidate designs.
Step Six – Candidate Design Review
The Mint will present candidate designs, along with any relevant input from subject matter experts, to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) for comment and to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) for review. The Mint will consider all comments and recommendations and modify the candidate designs as appropriate. This may require the Mint to return to Step Five until the Mint receives comprehensive feedback from both federal advisory committees (CFA and CCAC) from which the Secretary of the Treasury may make design selections.
Step Seven – Final Selections
The Mint will provide candidate designs, with feedback from subject matter experts, and recommendations from the CFA and CCAC, to the Secretary of the Treasury for final design selection.
“Best of the Mint” Numismatic Coins
The Mint will also celebrate America’s 250th with a “Best of the Mint” collection that reflects the rich numismatic history of the United States. The series will include gold coins honoring historic designs and companion silver medals with modernized designs that will represent the best of America’s coinage as determined by expert recommendation and public input.
In November 2023, we invited the public to take a brief survey to rank 21 candidate coins to provide input for the series. The Mint developed the list of historic coins in consultation with a subcommittee of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and the Curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. The list was reviewed for artistic merit and historical significance. The coins span the Mint’s history, from its inception in 1792 to our award winning 2017 American Liberty gold coin.
Feedback from the public survey will be presented to the CCAC and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). With recommendations from those committees, the Secretary of the Treasury will select the final designs for this program. The Mint will submit final candidate designs to the Secretary of the Treasury for review and approval.