Gettysburg Address quarter completes the Mint's five-coin series for America's 250th

Abraham Lincoln’s most famous speech is now in Americans’ pocket change. The United States Mint celebrated the release of its Gettysburg Address quarter at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania on Oct. 21. The coin is the last of the quarters the Mint is issuing this year for the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The Mint says it is the final quarter in its 2026 Semiquincentennial Circulating Coin Program. The coins shipped to Federal Reserve Banks and their coin terminals on Oct. 19, and from there they go out to banks and other financial institutions.

A battlefield ceremony

The park, the Mint and the Gettysburg Foundation held the launch at 11 a.m. at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center, according to the park’s advance announcement. The program included a Civil War-era brass band and a ceremonial coin pour into a reproduction black stovepipe hat like the one Lincoln was fond of wearing. The Mint planned to give out free Gettysburg Address quarters in commemorative coin boards after the ceremony, and a local bank set up a cash-only coin exchange inside the museum.

The park listed four speakers: U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, Mint Director Paul Hollis, park Superintendent Stephanie Stephens and Barbara Sardella, acting president of the Gettysburg Foundation. All events were free and open to the public.

In the Mint’s release, Hollis said: “More than 160 years after President Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg, his words continue to resonate.”

Lincoln gave the address on Nov. 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg, according to the Library of Congress.

What the coin shows

The Mint describes the obverse as a portrait of Lincoln, the 16th president, that shows the toll of the war on his face while he looks steadily ahead. It carries the inscriptions “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “1776 ~ 2026.”

The reverse shows two clasped hands. The Mint says they stand for Lincoln’s effort to hold the nation together. Above them is a line taken from the speech, “A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY,” along with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “25¢” and “GETTYSBURG ADDRESS.”

The trade publication CoinNews credits the designs to artists in the Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program. Justin Kunz designed the obverse and former Mint medallic artist Don Everhart sculpted it. Beth Zaiken designed the reverse and Mint medallic artist Craig Campbell sculpted it.

Five quarters, one year

The Mint’s Semiquincentennial program runs for 2026 only and includes five quarter designs: the Mayflower Compact, the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Gettysburg Address. It also includes a new Emerging Liberty dime and an Enduring Liberty half dollar. The Mint says the dime will go back to its earlier design in 2027.

CoinNews reports that the quarters entered circulation in that order on Jan. 5, March 23, June 1, Aug. 10 and Oct. 19. A production table in the article lists about 918.8 million quarters struck for the series. CoinNews reports 2.8 million Gettysburg Address coins struck through September, a total it expects to grow once October figures come out in November.

According to the Mint, the redesigns were authorized by the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which President Donald Trump signed into law on Jan. 13, 2021.

For collectors

Collectors can buy the Gettysburg Address quarter through the Mint’s online store as a two-roll set or in 100-coin bags from the Philadelphia and Denver mints. Prices run from $56 to $63, and each household can buy two at first. According to CoinNews, sales start Nov. 13 at noon Eastern time, and the rolls and bags for the four earlier 2026 quarters became unavailable soon after their releases.