NUMISMATIC - COIN WORLD

Where did the word “numismatics” come from? First documented as an English word in the early part of the 1800s, this word derived from a French adjective, numismatiques, which means "of coins." In turn, that word came from the Latin word for “coin.” The meaning of the word gets even more interesting when the Latin word gets traced back to the original Greek that it was borrowed from. After some iterations, the word came from the Greek nemō, or "I dispense or divide."

2026 Circulating Coins

  • By Larry Jewett , Coin World

  • Published: Dec 16, 2025, 6 AM

Descriptions of the 2026 circulation coins as revealed in December 2025.

* The Jefferson 5-cent coin whose only modification for the semiquincentennial celebration is the dual anniversary dates.

* The dime denomination (not redesigned since the Franklin Roosevelt dime was introduced in 1946) will illustrate Emerging Liberty on the obverse, with “a determined Liberty as the winds of revolution waft through her hair. With steadfast resolve, she faces the tyranny of the British monarchy. Her liberty cap bears stars and stripes, at once a symbol of our burgeoning Nation and a reference to early American coinage.” This obverse was designed by Artistic Infusion Program designer Esao Andrews and sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist Craig. A. Campbell.

The 2026 dime reverse depicts “an eagle in flight carrying arrows in its talons, representing the American Revolution and the colonists’ fight for independence.” It was designed and sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist Eric David Custer.


* A Mayflower Compact quarter dollar, executed by AIP designer Ron Sanders, sculpted by Custer. This obverse depicts two Pilgrims embracing as they behold the New World. The Pilgrims did not arrive at their intended destination; therefore, they did not hold a charter to establish a colony at Plymouth. Instead, the Mayflower Compact, signed Nov. 21, 1620, established the colony as a mutual enterprise, and its force of law depended on the consent of the colonists themselves to promote the common good. The Mayflower Compact is considered a precursor to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. This quarter dollar’s reverse is sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill and is based on sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin’s rendition of the Mayflower used for the reverse of the 1920 and 1921 Pilgrim Tercentenary half dollars.


* The Revolutionary War quarter dollar’s obverse carries Chief Mint Engraver Joseph F. Menna’s 2007 portrait of George Washington for the first coin in the Presidential dollar series. Menna sculpted his design. The reverse, by AIP designer and former U.S. Mint sculptor-engraver Donna Weaver, shows a Continental Army soldier at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Washington’s forces endured defeat at the Battle of Brandywine and faced disease and extreme cold during their winter encampment from 1777 to 1778. Independence had been declared the previous July, but the Second Continental Congress was forced to flee Philadelphia to evade a British attack. Weaver’s design was sculpted by Campbell.

* The Declaration of Independence quarter dollar obverse design was gleaned from a large-size Indian Peace medal of the third president, Thomas Jefferson, created by early Mint chief engraver Robert Scot and assistant engraver John Reich. The reverse, by AIP designer Ben Sowards and sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist John P. McGraw, depicts the Liberty Bell ringing. While it is unclear whether it rang in July 1776, the Liberty Bell often rang to draw people near and share an announcement, or a declaration. The bell’s crack is visible; the fragility of the bell echoes the fragility of the young nation at its founding.

* The U.S. Constitution quarter dollar features on its obverse a portrait of James Madison, popularly known as the “Father of the Constitution” for his role in drafting and promoting the foundational document. The design was rendered by AIP designer Joel Iskowitz for the 2007 Madison Presidential dollar and sculpted by now retired Mint lead sculptor Donald Everhart II. The reverse, designed by Weaver and sculpted by Hemphill, depicts Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Liberty Bell was housed and where both the Declaration and U.S. Constitution were written, debated, and signed. The inscription WE THE PEOPLE and the image of Independence Hall together highlight a founding principle laid out in the Constitution: specifically, that our government is grounded in the consent of the governed.

* The Gettysburg Address quarter dollar features on its obverse a portrait of the document’s author, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln paid tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and appealed to all Americans to advance the principles for which the soldiers gave their lives during the American Civil War. AIP Designer Justin Kunz created the design which was sculpted by Everhart. The reverse design features the inscription A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY, a passage from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Two hands grasping each other represent Lincoln’s efforts to hold the nation together and his appeal to Americans to honor the dead and ensure “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” AIP designer Beth Zaiken executed the design, which was sculpted by Campbell.

* Weaver’s obverse for the Enduring Liberty half dollar shows a close-up view of the Statue of Liberty, her steadfast gaze looking outward as if toward the future. McGraw sculpted the design. Zaiken’s reverse features Liberty passing her torch, its flame trailing with the momentum of purpose, to a new generation. Mint Medallic Artist Darla Jackson did the sculpting.

 

Community Comments

Numismatics is about more than just coins.

While many people use numismatics as a general term to refer only to the study of coins, this word actually refers to the study of all kinds of money. As such, it includes the study of coins and also paper bills, tokens, and other related objects that have been used as currency by various people throughout history, as well as noncurrency items like medals. Some kinds of money used at different points in history might surprise novice numismatists; for example, a culture might have used shells as a currency. 

Barter, or the trade of objects and services for other objects and services, has long been used in the marketplace and continues today. In some cases, the line between barter and currency still provides a topic of debate, but in most cases, articles about numismatics cover subjects like coins and paper money. Numismatics might become easier to comprehend by understanding the numismatic values of coins and paper money, and this refers to the value of a coin or note that is higher than the intrinsic or face value. In other words, this could also be called the collectible value. For example, a historical gold coin has an inherent value that is based upon its bullion value. It may also have a face value, or the actual value of the money assigned by the country that produced it. However, that same coin might be worth much more than the gold or the face value because it is rare, historically significant, beautiful, and/or designed by a famous artist.

Ultimately, understanding numismatics really depends upon understanding the nature of money. In the past, money might have been shells, gems, or precious metals. Today, most societies rely upon coins and paper money, but in this digital age, even that has begun to change as billions of dollars get exchanged every day electronically without the need for physical currency. Even more revolutionary, there are new digital currencies that have never been based upon any nation's physical currency. As it has in the past, it is likely that the study of numismatics will continue to evolve as currency evolves.