Release: August 14, 2026
I’ve reminisced about memories of the US Bi-Centennial in 1776 before. I speak of those good ol’ days having been hip deep in them when they took place. Honestly, 2026 should blow that anniversary out of the water. After all, 250 year is beyond merely a milestone. It’s epic. And, the United States is the longest existing democracy in the history of the world....
Cards on the table, 1976 was more memorable. Truly. Tall ships from around the world majestically sailed the harbors in New York, Newport and Boston. Fireworks displays the likes of which no one had seen were put on. Legendary conductor Arthur Fiedler led the Boston Pops in front of 400,000 people – roughly the same size as Woodstock. The American Freedom Train took US artifacts across the country for millions to see. Thousands of volunteers led a wagon train from the West Coast to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Foreign dignitaries were eager to come and be a part. And, on and on.
In 2026, instead of coming together it has been a year of wholesale public indifference or partisan friction. For instance, the American people paid for a redo of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool liner. It didn’t work and has resulted in law suits and insulting rhetoric. Something called the “America250” commission has had multiple leadership shifts, missed deadlines and has come nowhere near inspiring the public engagement of 1976. And, on and on.
For collectors, it’s equally confusing. In 1976, the cavalcade of Bi-centennial stamps and commemorative postal souvenir sheets were the talk of the collecting world. Everyone, including non-collectors, were snapping them up at post offices. Colonial patriotism evidenced on stamps was so apparent it became contagious. This year, scant few stamps have been released. Most are just incarnations of the American flag, an important image but one we already have an abundance of.
In 1976, something else creating a massive buzz were coins. After decades of seeing the same pocket change we were treated to a new quarter for the first time since 1932. So too for a new half dollar and dollar. As I’ve said before, now we get a new quarter dollar almost every two months.
Seeing as how our Fourth of July is long past and its already August, in what appears to be a last-ditch effort to create a numismatic collector buzz, the US Mint tried to shake things up. Their tactic is to severely limit the number of a particular new quarter issued just weeks ago. It is the new “Declaration of Independence” quarter bearing a profile portrait of Thomas Jefferson on the front and a ringing Liberty Bell on the reverse. It’s one of five being issued this year, we think. Few people have yet to see any of the new quarters in their change. Nevertheless, for this one, there’s a twist.
On just 250,000 of the new quarters, the Mint has included a small “JULY/4th” privy mark to the left of Jefferson’s portrait. Also, to the right of the portrait normally would be the letter “P” signifying it was struck at the Philadelphia Mint. Of the hundreds of millions minted in Philadelphia, 250,000 don’t include the letter “P.” Those “novelty” coins are being salted into the population of coins nationwide.
Understand, in the world of coin collecting, 250,000 of something is an incredibly small amount. So, this initiative may sound great for collectors. After all, online and at dealers, many of those 2026 Declaration of Independence quarters with no “P” mintmark and the “JULY/4th” privy mark included are currently selling for between $200 and $500 in top grades. Not bad for something you and I may get for a mere twenty-five cents.
Here’s the rub. In 1909, when the new Lincoln penny was introduced, over 100 million were struck. Of those, only around 500,000 were made in San Francisco with the “S” mintmark and the small letters V.D.B. for the designer Victor D. Brenner. When word got out about the low mintage, collectors snapped them up. Today, in top mint state condition, one of those 1909-S VDB pennies sells for $3,000 to $4,000. There are countless more examples.
So, why is the current Philadelphia-made “Declaration of Independence” quarter with the JULY/4th privy mark which is TWICE as rare only selling for a few hundred dollars? According to Bob Vitt, a seasoned numismatic dealer at Scotsman Coins in St. Louis, collectors consider these new quarters to be merely a contrived “gimmick” – something intentionally created by the Mint to be rare. For serious collectors, that doesn’t go over well.
Maybe in years to come these quarters will have serious value like the 1909-S VDB penny or others. Time will tell. For now, collectors consider them just an amusing stunt by the Mint. Maybe. But, for the time being, $300 or $400 for a single quarter is not exactly chump change.
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