By CoinWeek ….
At the February 15, 2024 meeting of the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), Semiquincentennial coin design candidates for the 2026 Lincoln cent and Jefferson nickel were revealed. The United States Mint delivered the portfolio of designs to the CFA for review and recommendation, per the Commission’s federal mandate.
Design candidates for the obverses of these coins are pictured below. As can be seen from the images provided by the Mint, the changes are relatively unobtrusive and involve the addition of a privy mark, the changing of the date to include a range from 1776 to 2026, or a combination of both. On the cent, the Liberty Bell privy mark can be rendered in incuse or relief, with the number 250 portrayed in Roman numerals inside it. When the Liberty Bell is incuse, the 250 is in relief, and vice versa. Additionally, the privy mark and the date range can be combined, and each element’s placement can be altered.
For their part, the CFA chose Option 1 for both coins, as they believe the “simplicity” of the design would serve the small coinage best. Since there was no quorum present at the Feb. 15 meeting, the CFA will officially vote on these recommendations at its next meeting, currently scheduled for March 21, 2024.
