The New Quarter Will Display Thomas Jefferson, 4 More Coming This Year
The United States Mint began shipping the third of five special commemorative quarters into circulation this week, and if you have not started checking your change yet, now is the time to start. The Declaration of Independence Quarter entered the Federal Reserve distribution system on June 1st as part of the US Mint's Semiquincentennial Coin Program, a one-year-only series of redesigned circulating coins marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. The heads side features a portrait of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and the country's third president, alongside the inscriptions E Pluribus Unum, In God We Trust, and the dual date 1776 and 2026. The tails side shows the Liberty Bell in motion, with its famous crack visible, and the inscription The Declaration of Independence, a design that the Mint noted carries particular resonance because the Liberty Bell was often rung to draw people together for major public announcements, including, according to tradition, the announcement of independence itself.
The Declaration of Independence Quarter is the third in a sequential series of five redesigned quarters that will each be available for only a single year before returning to the standard Washington design. The first, the Mayflower Compact Quarter featuring two Pilgrims under the words E Pluribus Unum, entered circulation in January. The second, the Revolutionary War Quarter with George Washington on the front and a Continental Army soldier at Valley Forge on the back, followed in March. Still ahead are the US Constitution Quarter honoring James Madison, known as the Father of the Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address Quarter featuring Abraham Lincoln, both set to enter circulation later this year. The first two designs moved so quickly with collectors that rolls and bags became unavailable shortly after release. Beyond the quarters, the Mint has also overhauled the dime, replacing Franklin D. Roosevelt's portrait with Lady Liberty above the words Liberty Over Tyranny, and the half dollar, which now features the Statue of Liberty in place of John F. Kennedy, making 2026 one of the most significant years for US coin design in modern history.
