(NEXSTAR) – Check your change: Newly-designed coins celebrating the nation’s semiquincentennial (aka, its 250th anniversary) are entering circulation today.
Last month, the U.S. Mint unveiled the commemorative designs that will appear on dimes, quarters, and half-dollar coins produced in 2026.
The coins are engraved with “1776 ~ 2026,” a break from the general tradition of only being marked with the year in which they were minted.
That’s the only change you’ll notice on the newest nickels entering circulation. On the dimes, President Franklin D. Roosevelt has been replaced with “Liberty as the winds of revolution waft through her hair” on the face, while an eagle clutching arrows in its talons now appears on the reverse.
Meanwhile, there are five new versions of the quarter that will be available this year. They honor the Mayflower Compact, the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address.
The Mint announced Monday morning that the Mayflower Compact Quarter is the first of the 25-cent pieces being released.
Along with the new coins entering circulation is a collectible semiquincentennial Enduring Liberty half dollar, as well as pennies sporting a semiquincentennial design (these will be the only new pennies you see this year). These coins will be available for purchase from the U.S. Mint.
You can see all of the new designs available this year in the slideshow below:
A rendering of the front and reverse of the nickels that will be minted and distributed in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. (US Mint) 
A rendering of the front and reverse of the dimes that will be minted and distributed in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. (US Mint) 
A rendering of the front and reverse of the U.S. Constitution Quarter that will be minted and distributed in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. (US Mint) 
A rendering of the front and reverse of the Gettysburg Address Quarter that will be minted and distributed in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. (US Mint) 
A rendering of the front and reverse of the Revolutionary War Quarter that will be minted and distributed in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. (US Mint) 
A rendering of the front and reverse of the Declaration of Independence Quarter that will be minted and distributed in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. (US Mint) 
A rendering of the front and reverse of the Mayflower Compact Quarter that will be minted and distributed in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. (US Mint) 
A rendering of the front and reverse of the Liberty Half Dollar that will be minted and distributed in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. (US Mint) 
A rendering of the front and reverse of the collectible pennies that will be minted and distributed in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. (US Mint)
These new coins have not come without controversy.
Congress authorized commemorative coins in 2021. During the Biden administration, the Mint worked with a citizens advisory committee to propose designs depicting the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, abolitionism, suffrage and civil rights.
Those designs included depictions of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Ruby Bridges, the latter of whom was escorted to school by the National Guard at age 6 amid opposition to racial integration at public schools.
Those designs represented “continued progress toward ‘a more perfect union,’” said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, quoting a phrase from the preamble to the Constitution. They were, however, abandoned for more classical depictions of America.
“The American story didn’t stop at the pilgrims and founding fathers, and ignoring anything that has happened in this country in the last 162 years is just another attempt by President Trump to rewrite our history,” Cortez Masto said in a statement.
A $1 coin depicting President Trump is said to still be in the works. A draft design showed Trump’s profile on the “heads” side, known as the obverse, and on the reverse, a depiction of Trump raising his fist after his attempted assassination. The words “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT” appear along the top.
By law, presidents typically can’t appear on coins until two years after their death, but some advocates for a Trump coin think there may be a loophole authorizing the treasury to mint special coins for the nation’s 250th birthday.
Next year, newly minted coins will return to their usual designs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.