The dual date recommended for America250 designs on U.S. cents and nickels was 1776~2026.
The two dates identify the year of the Declaration of Independence and the 250th-anniversary year. The tilde between them is part of the proposed presentation, distinguishing the anniversary marking from an ordinary single-year coin date.
The Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee reviewed recommendations for the semiquincentennial coin program. For production reasons, the Mint did not propose a complete redesign of the cent and nickel. Instead, the anniversary was to be recognized through the dual date while the coins retained their regular designs.
The marking can be confused with the 1776–1976 dates used on coins for the United States Bicentennial. Those earlier coins commemorated 200 years, while 1776~2026 identifies the 250-year milestone. Other 2026 semiquincentennial denominations received commemorative designs, so the dual-date treatment was only one part of a broader coin program.