The 2020 coin law authorized five quarter-dollar designs for the America250 semiquincentennial.
The Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 authorized redesigned circulating coins for the 250th anniversary of American independence. Among its provisions was a series of five quarters, allowing the Mint to tell several parts of the nation’s history through a familiar denomination.
The number five is easy to confuse with the total number of denominations involved. The broader program covered six circulating denominations: the cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar, and dollar. Only the quarter received a five-design series under the specific semiquincentennial provision.
The program also required one quarter to depict women’s contributions to American independence. Earlier recommendations considered themes including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, abolition, women’s suffrage, and civil rights. Final designs and themes can change during the approval process, but the authorized number of quarter designs remains five.