The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee considered proposed designs Oct. 15 for the five 2026 circulating quarter dollars to recognize the nation’s 250th anniversary, making final recommendations the following day.

The proposed designs, in order of each coin’s release, are to be thematic of inflection points in the nation’s history: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, Abolitionism, Suffrage and Civil Rights.

Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is America’s first and boldest expression of the values and aspirations that define our national identity. 

Obverse designs featured a personified Liberty. Some depictions referenced the theme of the Declaration of Independence through Liberty’s garb or symbolic elements, while others were more generalized.

Reverses commemorated the Declaration of Independence as an expression of the principles on which the government and identity of Americans is based. Artists were also asked to include the inscription DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE to definitively identify the coin as commemorating that inflection point.

The recommended obverse depicts Liberty cradling a “spark of enlightenment,” representing the ideals and principles embedded in the Declaration of Independence. In her hair Liberty wears leaves of oak.

The recommended reverse depicts the Liberty Bell ringing in Independence Hall. The bell’s crack is visible, the fragility the bell echoing the fragility of a young nation at its founding. The panel notes to the Treasury secretary that the bell is intended as a general symbol, but historically speaking, it was not rung at the moment of the Declaration.

U.S. Constitution

The U.S. Constitution separates government powers among the executive, judicial, and legislative branches to provide checks and balances to prevent one branch from assuming unlimited authority.

Obverse designs featured a personified Liberty. Reverses commemorated the U.S. Constitution and its ratification as a critical inflection point in our nation’s history, a point at which the founders defined a framework for our working government to make practical the principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence.

The recommended obverse depicts Liberty striding confidently toward the future holding her torch, a symbol of enlightenment. In her other hand she holds the U.S. Constitution. She is crowned with oak leaves for strength and wears the emblem of a shield for protection.

The recommended reverse features the sunrise detail from the chair used by George Washington during his tenure as president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

The panel recommended swapping the positions of the inscriptions LIBERTY and U.S. CONSTITUTION.

Abolitionism

Abolitionism encapsulates the paradox of America during slavery, when a nation proclaiming ideals of liberty, equality, and justice for all actively practiced the trade and enslavement of people.

Offered obverse designs depicted abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Reverse designs were emblematic of the abolition of slavery in the United States.

The recommended obverse depicts a resolute profile of Douglass. His countenance, etched with the profound depth of his lived experiences, and his unyielding gaze, reflect the strength of his convictions and his relentless pursuit of justice.

The recommended reverse symbolizes the journey from enslavement to freedom through abolition. A shackled hand points down at the inscription ABOLITIONISM, reflecting the cruel reality of slavery that the abolitionists confronted — an unflinching acknowledgment of its injustice and their commitment to eradicating it.  Opposite, a hand breaking free of its shackles reaches upward, representing the end of slavery.

The CCAC panel recommended replacing the word ABOLITIONISM with the more familiar ABOLITION.

Suffrage

The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on Aug. 26, 1920, and marked the single largest extension of voting rights in United States history, enfranchising 27 million women in the United States.

In 1920, the majority of Black Americans lived in the South, where their voting rights were effectively blocked by tactics that extended also to Hispanic and Latino citizens.

For these citizens, it was the Voting Rights Act of 1965, enacted almost a half century later, that ultimately removed these structural barriers to voting.

On this theme, four proposed obverse and six proposed reverse designs were submitted to the CCAC for consideration.

The obverse designs featured a depiction of a United States suffragist, an “Everywoman,” “to represent the thousands of Americans who contributed to this effort, while also personifying Liberty through a specific historical lens.”

The proposed reverse designs were emblematic of the suffrage movement and the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The recommended obverse shows a suffragist flanked by fellow advocates outlined in silhouette, an allusion to the thousands of Americans who fought for voting rights across the country.

The recommended reverse features a rosette-style button emblazoned with VOTES FOR WOMEN, similar to those worn by the suffragists, reflecting the movement’s central unshakable demand.

The CCAC recommended the design be modified, leaving it up to Mint artists to find a replacement for the words within the rosette, which repeat the slogan on the flag carried by the suffragist on the recommended obverse.

Civil Rights

The 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were enacted with the intention of ensuring equal protection under the law regardless of race.

On Nov. 14, 1960, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges made history in New Orleans, Louisiana, as she marched into William Frantz Elementary School, escorted by her mother and four armed federal marshals.

All the white students stayed home from school the day Ruby entered the school. Ruby continued her studies without missing a day, despite being the only student as others refused to attend class with her. She faced racist vitriol, needed to be escorted by federal marshals every day for her safety, and was taught by the only teacher willing to work with her.

The proposed obverse designs for the Civil Rights quarter dollar all featured the concept of Liberty as depicted by 6-year-old Ruby Bridges. “She symbolizes the larger Civil Rights Movement, the resilience of its advocates, and the reassertion of our country’s founding principles,” according to the Mint’s design narrative.

The proposed reverse designs were “emblematic of the Civil Rights Movement and its quest to work through division and strive for equality, all in pursuit of ‘a more perfect union,’ ” the design narratives explain.

The recommended obverse feature a 6-year-old Ruby Bridges in profile, her schoolbooks clutched to her chest. Her steadfast but gentle gaze highlights both her resolve to receive an education and her youthful innocence, placing a young girl at the forefront of historic change. These designs illustrate how America’s foundational ideals of liberty and equality are reaffirmed throughout its history by courageous acts that galvanize the nation to fulfill its bold promises.

The recommended reverse depicts Americans, locked arm-in-arm as they march, evoking one of the most iconic moments of the Civil Rights Movement, the Selma to Montgomery marches. They span age and gender, moving forward with steely determination, echoed in the inscription WE SHALL OVERCOME.

The panel suggests the Mint adjust the features of the figures to reflect the appropriate diversity.

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