A Great Time to Collect

It may have taken more than 200 years for the United States Mint to learn, but it appears that in recent years the mint has finally figured out that circulating commemorative coins reach a much wider audience than do non-circulating legal tender issues. Even better—the mint has deliberately issued a limited number of 1776-2026 Declaration of Independence quarters with a “July 4” privy mark.

There are plenty of limited edition NCLT commemoratives that never see the light of day beyond coin collector circles. The public has no idea these coins were ever issued. The privy-marked quarters are different. The coin has a mere mintage of 250,000 and has been unceremoniously put into general circulation. The publicity surrounding the coins will have everyone, not just collectors, watching their change.

This is in addition to the eye-catching one-year designs on all circulation strike coins, another coup that should encourage more people to start collecting. The value of uncirculated half-dollar bankrolls has already spiked significantly. It can be anticipated that the same will follow for all denominations as they are released. As far as commemoratives are concerned, there is a (supposedly) final issue of Lincoln cents to be sought.

There may yet be a President Donald Trump coin. A U.S. district judge recently ruled that James Rickher “failed to present evidence that clearly shows he will personally suffer concrete harm from issuance of the challenged coin.” We still need to know if Congress will allow an exception to existing laws preventing a living person from appearing on the proposed coin. How do you summarize all the coinage of our Semiquincentennial year? Let’s just say it’s a great time to be a coin collector.  

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