In 2026, the United States will celebrate its Semiquincentennial, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Nation’s founding. To honor this historic milestone, the U.S. Mint (https://www.usmint.gov/) will offer a "Best of the Mint" collection of gold coins that showcases the nation’s rich numismatic history.
For this single-year collection, gold coins will showcase historic designs that capture the essence of America’s finest coinage, selected based on expert guidance and feedback from the public. Five designs chosen from among 21 historic coins will be reissued as numismatic coins by the U.S. Mint.
The list of historic coins covers the Mint’s history since its inception in 1792. It was developed in consultation with a subcommittee of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and the Curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, taking into account both the coins’ artistic merit and their historical significance. The 21 coins include:
- 1792 Birch Cent
- 1792 Half Disme
- 1793 Liberty Cap Cent
- 1804 Silver Dollar
- 1836 Gobrecht Silver Dollar
- 1848 CAL. Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Coin
- 1849 $20 Gold Double Eagle
- 1856 Flying Eagle Cent
- 1878 Morgan Silver Dollar
- 1907 Saint-Gaudens High Relief $20 Gold Coin
- 1909 Lincoln Wheat Cent
- 1913 Liberty Head Nickel
- 1916 Mercury Dime
- 1916 Liberty Walking Half Dollar
- 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar
- 1921 Peace Dollar
- 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar
- 1986 Statue of Liberty $5 Gold Coin
- 1987 Constitution Bicentennial $5 Gold Coin
- 1999 George Washington Commemorative Gold Five Dollar Coin
- 2017 American Liberty High Relief $100 Gold Coin
Continuing until December 3, 2023, the U.S. Mint is inviting public participation in an anonymous survey to rank the 21 coins and help select the top five for its "Best of the Mint" collection.
To participate, visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/semiq.
The results will be presented to the CCAC and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). With recommendations from those committees, the Secretary of the Treasury will select the final designs for the U.S. Mint’s "Best of the Mint" collection.
Earlier in the year, the U.S. Mint sought public input on one-year-only redesigns for circulating coins set for 2026, aligning with the celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial.
