A room full of coin enthusiasts raised their glasses in a heartfelt toast on June 24, 2026, as Minted Assets hosted the First Strike Ceremony for the 2026 ANA convention coin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — a moment that honored not only the host city but two beloved figures in the numismatic community: the coin’s designer Joel Iskowitz and Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists President Patrick McBride.

Chang Bullock, President of Minted Assets, opened the ceremony by reflecting on the series’ origins, which stretch back to a fateful evening at the FUN Show three years ago. “A few of us” gathered at the Rosen, where over gin and tonics, a dream took shape. Bullock had long envisioned a show coin more distinctly American in character — something that told a story and resonated with the largest American coin show in the world. That night, with ANA Executive Director Thomas Uram’s enthusiasm and support, the series was born.

Now in its third year, the series has found a fitting home in Pittsburgh. The reverse features “A Song to Nature,” a sculpture at the entrance of Mary Schenley Park, created by Victor David Brenner — the artist behind the 1909 Lincoln cent. Bullock credited his wife, Amber, with discovering the statue during a long drive back from Oklahoma. “When a coin comes together, it’s not just one person,” Bullock said. “It’s a community of people that usually come together to make that happen.”

A bald eagle flies overhead, on the reverse, carrying a ribbon bearing the dates 1776–2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. A privy mark depicting Ben Franklin’s military hat alongside the initials PEM honors Patrick Emmett McBride — a tribute to his beloved role portraying Ben Franklin at major coin shows and events. Bullock recalled a moment that inspired the tribute: a young girl, wide-eyed with excitement after meeting Patrick McBride in character, ran back to her family exclaiming, “I just met Ben Franklin.” “To see that impact that Patrick McBride made on that little girl,” Bullock said, “was a powerful thing for me.”

Thomas Uram took to the podium to add his own tribute, praising Bullock’s vision while emphasizing the series’ significance. “It’s the first time that the ANA has actually been on a real coin,” Uram noted, calling the achievement a landmark for the organization and the hobby. He also reflected warmly on his long friendship with Patrick McBride, recalling years of collaboration building the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists from its earliest days, when the newsletter was still printed on a mimeograph.

The ceremony also served as a poignant remembrance of Joel Iskowitz, who passed away earlier this year. Bullock described Joel Iskowitz as not only an extraordinary talent — responsible for over 50 coins for the U.S. Mint and more than 2,000 stamp illustrations worldwide — but as a profoundly generous human being.

He recounted a story shared at a recent New York Numismatic Club meeting, in which Joel Iskowitz quietly added a quilt to the background of a portrait he painted of a colleague’s mother, having learned she loved quilting. The woman was so moved she made Joel Iskowitz a quilt in return. “That’s Joel,” Bullock said simply.

Bullock closed by sharing a medal he discovered among Joel Iskowitz’s estate, bearing the Latin phrase Semper Creano — “Always Creating.” “When you think about Joel’s life and everything that he did,” Bullock said, “I couldn’t think of a better statement that sums up his career and who he was as a person.”

The 2026 ANA $5 coin (legal tender by authority of the Ascension Islands) is available in three versions: a 1-ounce copper edition of 1,300 pieces; a 1-ounce silver edition of  500 coins;  and a 1-ounce gold issue of 100 coins, all struck by Osborne Mint.