There is nothing America loves more than a comeback. The pennant may be over, but the US Mint is bringing it back for a victory medal as a supporting player in a series of special coins designed to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.
The US Treasury Department has officially ordered the US Mint to stop producing pennies by 2025, and the last batch rolled off the presses last year. The extinction of the penny was far from over; Previous Treasury secretaries complained about the economic inefficiency of producing one-cent coins, each of which cost about 4 cents at the mint.
Although pennies remain legal tender for now, many dealers have taken more or less the nearest nickel, especially since pennies have become scarce. This is what other countries have done that have issued coins of the lowest denomination. And nickel is probably safe for now. Experts have previously told Money that they don’t expect the 5-cent piece to go anywhere in the near future.
But now, the pen is making a limited-edition comeback to help the US celebrate its 250th anniversary. The US Mint is issuing coins – including nickels, dimes, quarters and half dollars – to commemorate this year’s 250th anniversary, just as it did the US bicentennial in 1976.
What makes these new coins different? Instead of having a single date indicating their year of production, these coins include several dates to commemorate the semiquincentennial: 1776 and 2026.
Despite this change, the two-day pen features a standard design: Abraham Lincoln’s profile on the front and the Union Shield on the back. The semiquincentennial nickel is also no different except for the extra year, but the dime, quarter and half dollar all get special redesigns to mark the anniversary.
Where to find these special coins
The semiquincentennial nickel, dime, quarter and half dollar are all circulated in banks. If you’re hoping to see these coins in the wild, their common circulation nature means they’re likely to be found in all the usual places, from cash registers to changing bags to cup holders.
Unfortunately, these coins will not qualify as a proverbial mint, according to John Brush, president and owner of David Lawrence Rare Coins and president of the Professional Numismatists Guild.
“Due to the large production volume of semiquincentennial coins, the average coin found in circulation may not be worth more than its face value,” Brush told Money via email.
For collectors, a coin’s value is greatly influenced by its provenance and condition. The large number of two-day coins the US Mint intends to distribute, and the nicks and scratches they retain from being collected in cash register cabinets, parking meters, pockets and the like, make them unlikely to qualify for payment.
You won’t have two days worth of pennies in your money jar, though.
If you want to get your hands on one of these copper-colored commemorative coins, you’ll have to pay a pretty penny: You can get these pennies only through the US Mint, which offers them to collectors on its website. Bicentennial pens are part of semiquincentennial proof sets – not available individually. Unused coin sets that include a two-day pen will cost $107 when they are released this fall. The silver proof set will be available starting this month for a cool $245.
Is the premium worth it? History provides a good guide. When the country celebrated its 200th anniversary, the US Mint issued a special coin to commemorate the event. “We would expect these to be as valuable as the 1976 bicentennial issues, which have long been popular with collectors,” Brush said.
But popularity among coin enthusiasts doesn’t mean it’s become a windfall, Brush notes. While he expects demand for 2026 silver proof coins to increase in the short term, this is unlikely to continue, he predicts. “I expect they will adjust to get closer to their release rate in a few months.”
The centennial coin features a double silver proof three-digit US Mint set that retails for $12. Today, those sets, which have a face value of $1.75, can be had for about $45 online. That’s not a significant premium, given that the roughly half ounce of silver they contain is worth about $35 at current metal prices.
“Unfortunately, they proved to be a very poor investment, although they are still attractive to collectors,” Brush said. And for fans of the humble 1-cent coin, these semiquincentennial sets may be the last chance to get a shiny new penny.
