U.S. Mint

2026 will mark America’s Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the founding of our Nation. In commemoration of this momentous anniversary, the United States Mint (Mint) will be minting and issuing redesigned 2026-dated circulating coins. This one-year design change is for 2026 only.

The Mint is considering a variety of possible themes for these special circulating coins and we invite all Americans to take a brief survey about the thematic concepts being considered. Please visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/semiq to take the survey, which is open now through October 10, 2023.

As authorized by Public Law 116-330, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act (CCCRA), the designs for the 2026 circulating coins will be selected in accordance with a design selection process developed in consultation with the United States Semiquincentennial Commission and with recommendations from the general public. A select group of Federal advisors from the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and Records Administration, Library of Congress, and National Park Service participated in the development of the proposed thematic concepts that appear in the survey.

During the one-year period beginning January 1, 2026, the CCCRA permits the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue redesigned coins in celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial. This includes both the obverse and reverse sides of each circulating coin, including up to five different quarter designs emblematic of the Semiquincentennial, one of which must be “emblematic of a woman’s or women’s contribution to the birth of the Nation or the Declaration of Independence or any other monumental moments in American History.” The Mint is also planning new 2026 designs for its numismatic coins.

The United States Mint (Mint) is pleased to announce the following 2024 honorees for the American Women Quarters™ Program:

• Patsy Takemoto Mink was the first woman of color to serve in Congress. As a Member of Congress, she fought for gender and racial equality, affordable childcare, and bilingual education, most notably with the passage of Title IX, which was later renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.
• Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was a Civil War era surgeon, women’s rights advocate, and an abolitionist. Walker often crossed battle lines to care for wounded soldiers. Captured by the Confederate troops as a suspected spy, she was held as a prisoner of war for four months. Walker is the only woman to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
• Pauli Murray was a poet, writer, activist, lawyer, and Episcopal priest, as well as a staunch advocate for civil rights, fighting against racial and sex discrimination. In 1966, she co-founded the National Organization for Women with Betty Friedan and other activists. Murray is regarded as one of the most important social justice advocates of the twentieth century.
• Zitkala-Ša (meaning “Red Bird”), also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, was a writer, composer, educator, and political activist for Native Americans’ right to United States citizenship and other civil rights they had long been denied. She left her South Dakota home on the Yankton reservation at age eight to attend a boarding school run by white missionaries, where her native culture and traditions were prohibited.
• Celia Cruz (Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso) was a Cuban-American singer, cultural icon, and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Known as “The Queen of Salsa,” Cruz’s numerous honors and awards include five Grammy awards, a National Medal of Arts, and a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

“All of the women being honored have lived remarkable and multi-faceted lives, and have made a significant impact on our Nation in their own unique way,” said Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson. “The women pioneered change during their lifetimes, not yielding to the status quo imparted during their lives. By honoring these pioneering women, the Mint continues to connect America through coins which are like small works of art in your pocket.”

The designs for the 2024 American Women Quarters will be released in mid-2023.

Authorized by Public Law 116-330, the American Women Quarters Program features coins with reverse (tails) designs emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of American women. Begun in 2022 and continuing through 2025, the Mint is issuing five quarters in each of these years. The ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse group of individuals honored through this program reflects a wide range of accomplishments and fields, including suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts.

Numismatic Products
This groundbreaking coin program is an excellent way to remind future generations what can be accomplished with vision, determination, and a desire to improve opportunities for all. Subscribe to the program today to ensure fulfillment of your favorite product through 2025.