It’s said we can’t go back in time. I suppose that’s akin to the adage, “you can never go home again.” The implication is, no matter what, a longing return to those “good ol’ days” isn’t possible.
Maybe. Yet, with the looming Semiquincentennial, I can’t help remembering when new coins and currency were introduced in 1976 for our celebrated Bi-centennial. As I’ve said, I was there. I recall the fervor and collective excitement behind the celebrations, fireworks and endless events. Then, we were introduced to a one-year-only Bi-centennial quarter design with colonial drummer, the first new quarter issued since 1932. We also got a revised half-dollar and a dollar memorializing the 200th....
50 years later, we are just starting to see trickles of enthusiasm for our 250th. Even though we seem to get a new quarter design almost every week (it’s actually every 10 weeks), five new quarters commemorating the anniversary are being struck and distributed.
Each quarter has an image reflective of our early heritage and freedom including the ship Mayflower under sail; a colonial soldier standing guard with his musket; the Liberty Bell ringing; the cupola of Independence Hall in Philadelphia; and two hands grasping each other symbolizing unity.
Additionally, just for 2026, our circulating dime shows allegorical Lady Liberty on the obverse and a soaring Bald Eagle with wings spread on the reverse. A new 2026 nickel has a frontal portrait of Thomas Jefferson and the years 1776 – 2026.
While not struck for active circulation, a new half-dollar features a close-up view of the face of the Statue of Liberty on the front. On the reverse, an adult hand passes the Liberty Torch to a young hand near the words, “KNOWLEDGE IS THE ONLY GUARDIAN OF TRUE LIBERTY.”
In 1976, we also had a dollar coin. It was huge – the size of vintage silver dollars from a century prior. Also meant for circulation, the hefty and inevitably unpopular dollar coins featured a profile of former President Dwight Eisenhower. That dollar coin had originally been introduced in 1971 however, in 1976, the reverse design was altered to show the Liberty Bell in front of the moon. That symbolized advancements the US had made over 200 years.
The final 1976 Bi-centennial numismatic addition was a modified reverse on the $2.00 bill. The rarely used bill changed from showing Jefferson’s Monticello home to the famous John Trumbull portrait of colonial legislators signing the Declaration of Independence – an illustration which continues on the bill to this day.
So, what has changed in half a century? Well, so far, most of the revised 2026 coins are holding true to our stoic colonial heritage of heroes and enduring icons. These new coins will soon be appearing at banks and in pocket change.
Two notable hiccups on the horizon may involve a possible 2026 commemorative dollar-coin and new paper money with a never-seen-before denomination. While laws on the books dictate all coins and currency only include images of deceased individuals, the new dollar coin may somehow actually feature our current sitting president – not only on the front but on both sides.
The proposed Trump dollar coin has a large obverse profile portrait of him with a look of resolve. On the reverse is an image reflective of when an assassination attempt was made at a Pennsylvania rally. It shows Trump with fist raised under the words, “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.”
Equally or even more perplexing is a possible all-new denomination of currency. Proposed is, I’m not making this up, a $250 bill emblazoned with a full-color image of Donald Trump.
Again, laws exist prohibiting depicting a living president on currency. Nevertheless, five new members of the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) may actually favor the Trump dollar coin and $250 bill. Incidentally, those five new members were recently hand-picked and appointed to the CFA by the president.
This isn’t all conjecture. Prototypes of the coins and paper money have been created and submitted. Regarding them, talk among the numismatic community and public in general is robust and clearly unsupportive.
It’s time to put the cards on the table. And, this is not political. But, our 250th should focus on the country, not any one individual. Given the ancillary efforts to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center; cryptocurrency; a Gold Card for immigrants; Donald J. Trump Boulevard in Florida and other narcissistic applications, our coins and currency should be free from that – independent and sacrosanct.
We’ll hope cooler heads prevail. If so, just maybe, going back for a taste of those good ol’ days will be possible.
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