In its February 15th Meeting, the Commission for Fine Arts reviewed the 2026 Semiquincentennial design candidates for the Lincoln Cent and Jefferson Nickel. The United States Mint submitted the candidates, which will be finalized by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) in an upcoming meeting. Authorized by Public Law 116-330, the U.S. Mint will revamp its circulating coins for 2026 to commemorate the Semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, of the founding of the United States of America.
The proposed designs for the 2026 Semiquincentennial Lincoln Cent and Jefferson Nickel have similar design aspects. The first is a dual-date design of 1776 ~ 2026. This is similar to what the United States Mint did in 1976 for the country’s Bicentennial. Secondly, there is a privy mark of a Liberty Bell with “250” within the bell.
Here are the designs for the Lincoln Cent to be considered.
The proposed designs for the Jefferson Nickel are similar to those of the Cent.
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) is scheduled to meet today, and the proposed designs will be reviewed, and one of each will be approved. The CCAC will likely select similar designs – with or without the privy mark – for both denominations.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts was established by Congress in 1910 as a permanent body to advise the federal government on matters pertaining to the arts and national symbols, and to guide the architectural development of Washington, D.C.