$2.50 for America’s 250th Act

The bill would amend title 31 of the U.S. Code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue three types of $2.50 numismatic (collectible) coins marking the semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary — of the signing of the Declaration of Independence: up to 100,000 gold coins, up to 300,000 silver coins, and up to 750,000 clad coins. For the first two years after issuance, each coin's obverse would depict allegorical liberty holding the Declaration of Independence and the reverse would show Independence Hall, mirroring the design of the 1926 $2.50 Sesquicentennial gold coin. Each coin would bear the inscriptions "Semiquincentennial of the United States" and "1776-2026." Congress expresses the sense that the coins should be issued by July 4, 2026.

Separately, the bill would require the Treasury Department and U.S. Mint to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study on introducing a $2.50 coin into wide everyday circulation — examining production costs, commerce benefits, physical specifications, and coordination with banks and the Federal Reserve — and submit a report to two congressional committees by September 15, 2026. The bill does not itself authorize a circulating $2.50 coin; that would require further legislation.

Coin collectors and the numismatic market, which would have access to limited-edition $2.50 gold, silver, and clad commemorative coins. The U.S. Mint and Treasury Department would carry out the minting program and the feasibility study. Commercial banks, cash-handling businesses, vending and transit industries, and consumer groups would be consulted as stakeholders in the circulation study.

Collectors would gain access to a new commemorative denomination tied to a major national anniversary, with mintage limits preserving scarcity and value. The circulation feasibility study could lay the groundwork for future legislation introducing a new coin denomination — potentially affecting cash-transaction costs, vending infrastructure, and Federal Reserve coin distribution — though no such change would occur under this bill alone.

The Treasury Secretary may mint the numismatic coins, with Congress expressing a preference for issuance by July 4, 2026. Design specifications and mintage caps are set directly by the bill for the first two years; later design choices revert to Treasury's discretion. Separately, the Mint director must conduct a structured feasibility study consulting banks, retailers, vending operators, and transit agencies, then deliver a report — including a phased circulation plan — to the House Financial Services and Senate Banking committees no later than September 15, 2026.