The 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter is the fifth and final special quarter issued by the United States Mint for America’s Semiquincentennial. Following the Mayflower Compact, Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, and U.S. Constitution designs, the Gettysburg Address issue closes the five-quarter historical sequence by examining the survival, renewal, and continuing meaning of the nation created by the founding generation.
The obverse features Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, with a portrait intended to reflect both the burden of the Civil War and Lincoln’s determination to preserve the Union. The reverse features two hands grasping one another beneath the words A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY, connecting the coin directly to the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s call for Americans to continue the unfinished work of preserving representative government.
For collectors, the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter includes Philadelphia and Denver circulating-quality issues, official Mint rolls and bags scheduled for Fall 2026, San Francisco Proof and 99.9% fine silver Proof versions, Mint-set examples, and certified coins such as NGC PF70 Ultra Cameo Silver Proofs.
2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter Quick Facts
Feature
2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter
Program
2026 United States Semiquincentennial Coin Program
Denomination
Quarter Dollar — 25¢
Historical Theme
Gettysburg Address
Position in Five-Quarter Program
Fifth and final
Obverse
Abraham Lincoln
Reverse
Two grasping hands
Key Reverse Inscription
A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY
Circulating Mints
Philadelphia (P) and Denver (D)
Circulating Composition
8.33% nickel, balance copper
Circulating Weight
5.670 grams
Diameter
24.26 mm / 0.955 inch
Edge
Reeded
Silver Proof Mint
San Francisco (S)
Silver Proof Composition
99.9% fine silver
Silver Fine Weight
0.199 troy ounce
Anniversary Date
1776 ~ 2026
Rolls & Bags Status
Scheduled for Fall 2026
Why the Gettysburg Address Is the Final 2026 Quarter
The five Semiquincentennial quarters form a chronological and philosophical sequence rather than five unrelated anniversary designs. The Mayflower Compact introduces government through consent. The Revolutionary War represents sacrifice in defense of liberty. The Declaration of Independence announces political independence. The Constitution creates a framework for national government. The 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter then asks whether that nation and its founding principles could survive civil war.
That makes Gettysburg an especially powerful conclusion. The first four designs concentrate primarily on the creation of the United States. Gettysburg shifts the story forward nearly a century to a moment when the Union itself was in danger and the meaning of the nation’s founding principles was being contested through war.
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address looked backward to the nation’s founding while also redefining what preservation of the Union meant. His language connected the Civil War to liberty, equality, democratic government, sacrifice, and what he described as a new birth of freedom. The final quarter therefore closes the 2026 sequence not with the completion of America’s story, but with the idea that the work of sustaining its principles continues.
Historical Background: The Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought in Pennsylvania from July 1 through July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia had moved north into Pennsylvania, while the United States Army of the Potomac maneuvered to confront it. The armies unexpectedly converged around the town of Gettysburg and fought across ridges, farms, fields, hills, and roads surrounding the community.
The first day pushed United States forces back through the town before they regrouped on high ground south of Gettysburg. Fighting intensified on July 2 around locations that became deeply associated with the battle, including Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Hill, and Culp’s Hill. On July 3, Confederate forces launched the massive assault commonly known as Pickett’s Charge against the United States center on Cemetery Ridge.
The attack failed, and Lee began retreating toward Virginia on July 4. The National Park Service describes Gettysburg as the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and a defeat that ended Lee’s hopes for a successful invasion of the North. The Civil War itself continued for nearly two more years, but Gettysburg became one of the conflict’s defining military and historical landmarks.
The 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter commemorates Lincoln’s interpretation of the battle rather than a battlefield scene. The reverse does not depict soldiers, weapons, or Pickett’s Charge. Instead, the Mint chose clasped hands and words from the Gettysburg Address, shifting the coin’s emphasis from combat itself to sacrifice, national unity, liberty, and the responsibility of the living to preserve democratic government.
The Gettysburg Address and November 19, 1863
President Abraham Lincoln returned attention to Gettysburg on November 19, 1863, when he participated in ceremonies dedicating the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. The main orator, Edward Everett, spoke for roughly two hours. Lincoln’s remarks lasted only a few minutes, yet the Gettysburg Address became one of the most enduring speeches in American history.
Lincoln did not simply summarize the battle. He framed the Civil War within a much broader question about whether a nation founded on liberty and equality could survive. His opening looked back to the Declaration of Independence and the creation of a “new nation” in 1776. His conclusion challenged the living to continue the work for which the dead had sacrificed themselves.
The address linked national survival to a “new birth of freedom” and to the continuation of government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” That combination of remembrance and unfinished responsibility explains why the Gettysburg Address was selected to conclude the five-quarter Semiquincentennial sequence.
2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter Obverse: Abraham Lincoln
The obverse of the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter features Abraham Lincoln, America’s 16th President. Unlike the familiar Victor David Brenner portrait that has appeared on the cent since 1909, the Gettysburg quarter uses a distinct Lincoln portrait created specifically for the Semiquincentennial program.
The United States Mint describes the portrait as showing the profound burden of war on Lincoln’s weathered face while his forward-looking gaze reflects resolve and determination to move the country forward as one indivisible nation. That interpretation makes the portrait an important part of the coin’s historical message rather than simply a recognizable presidential likeness.
The obverse inscriptions are E PLURIBUS UNUM, IN GOD WE TRUST, and 1776 ~ 2026. The dual date identifies the coin as a Semiquincentennial issue; it should not be confused with the historical date of the Gettysburg Address, which Lincoln delivered in 1863.
The obverse was designed by U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program artist Justin Kunz and sculpted by former Medallic Artist Don Everhart.
2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter Reverse: Two Grasping Hands
The reverse of the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter uses a symbolic design rather than a literal portrait of Lincoln delivering the speech. Two hands grasp one another beneath the prominent inscription A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY.
The Mint explains that the hands represent Lincoln’s efforts to hold the nation together and his appeal to Americans to honor those who died by ensuring that representative government would survive. The gesture can therefore be read as unity, reconciliation, shared responsibility, and the preservation of the Union.
The reverse inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY, 25¢, and GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. Unlike many traditional quarter designs, the denomination appears as 25¢ rather than the words QUARTER DOLLAR.
The reverse was designed by Artistic Infusion Program artist Beth Zaiken and sculpted by U.S. Mint Medallic Artist Craig Campbell.
What “A New Nation Conceived in Liberty” Means
The phrase A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY comes directly from the opening idea of the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln looked back “four score and seven years” from 1863 to 1776, connecting the Civil War generation to the founding of the United States and the principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
That wording creates an intentional connection between the final 2026 quarter and the Declaration of Independence quarter earlier in the sequence. Thomas Jefferson and the Liberty Bell represent the articulation of independence. Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address represent a later generation confronting whether a nation built on those principles could endure.
This connection is one reason the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter works as the final design. The five-quarter story begins with consent and proceeds through revolution, independence, constitutional government, and finally preservation and renewal.
The clasped hands make the Gettysburg quarter different from a traditional battle commemorative. Rather than focusing on military victory, the design emphasizes what Lincoln believed the sacrifice at Gettysburg required of the living: preservation of the nation and its democratic principles. Within the five-quarter Semiquincentennial sequence, that makes the final coin a conclusion and a continuation—the founding ideals introduced by the earlier designs become responsibilities carried forward by later generations.
Philadelphia and Denver 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarters
Circulating and uncirculated versions of the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter are produced at the Philadelphia and Denver Mint facilities. These issues use the standard modern quarter composition of 8.33% nickel with the balance copper.
Each clad quarter weighs 5.670 grams, measures 24.26 millimeters in diameter, is approximately 1.75 millimeters thick, and has a reeded edge. These specifications match the standard modern copper-nickel clad quarter format used for the circulating Philadelphia and Denver issues.
2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter
Philadelphia
Denver
Mint Mark
P
D
Composition
8.33% nickel, balance copper
8.33% nickel, balance copper
Weight
5.670 grams
5.670 grams
Diameter
24.26 mm
24.26 mm
Edge
Reeded
Reeded
Anniversary Date
1776 ~ 2026
1776 ~ 2026
For circulation collectors, obtaining attractive examples from both facilities creates the basic P-and-D set. Collectors interested in higher-quality coins can also pursue original Mint products, uncirculated-set examples, certified circulation strikes, Proof issues, and Silver Proofs.
When Will the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter Be Released?
The United States Mint has scheduled the official Gettysburg Address Quarter launch for October 21, 2026, at Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Mint separately lists Gettysburg Address quarter rolls and bags as an upcoming Fall 2026 product, but as of August 2026 it has not published a specific sales date for those collector products. The October 21 launch date therefore should not automatically be treated as the rolls-and-bags sales date.
The same caution applies to circulation availability. Mint production, Federal Reserve distribution, commercial-bank demand, regional coin inventories, and local distribution patterns can affect when a newly issued quarter begins appearing in change in different parts of the country.
Because the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter is the final design in the five-quarter sequence, its eventual circulation release will also mark the completion of the Semiquincentennial circulating-quarter story.
2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter Rolls and Bags
The United States Mint currently lists 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter rolls and bags for Fall 2026. The available product structure includes Philadelphia and Denver products, with current pricing shown in the same $56 to $63 range used for the quarter roll-and-bag program.
The Philadelphia 100-coin bag is currently listed at $63, and the Mint’s master Gettysburg product page shows the overall Gettysburg roll-and-bag family at $56 to $63. The current household order limit is two units per product. Because the product remains upcoming, dates, limits, and availability should be rechecked against the Mint before purchase.
Original Mint packaging may itself become collectible, but packaging should not be confused with coin mintage. A household limit controls how many products an individual customer can initially order. It does not establish how many Gettysburg quarters were struck for circulation, how many survive in high grade, or how scarce certified examples may eventually become.
2026 Gettysburg Address Silver Proof Quarter
The precious-metal version of the design is the 2026 Gettysburg Address Silver Proof Quarter struck at the San Francisco Mint as part of the 2026 Semiquincentennial Silver Proof Set.
The Silver Proof Set contains ten Proof coins. The dime, five quarters, and half dollar are struck in 99.9% fine silver. The Mint lists each quarter at 0.199 troy ounce of silver fine weight, with a diameter of 24.26 millimeters and a reeded edge.
The 2026 Silver Proof Set was offered at $245 and carries a published mintage limit and product limit of 271,520 sets. Because each set contains one Gettysburg Address Silver Proof quarter, that published set limit provides an important production ceiling for this particular packaged Silver Proof source, although surviving populations and certified populations are separate measurements.
The Silver Proof version also presents the design differently from a circulation strike. Mirrored fields and frosted devices emphasize Lincoln’s portrait, the clasped hands, and the reverse lettering, creating a much stronger contrast than the working coin intended for ordinary circulation.
2026 Gettysburg Address Silver Quarter Melt Value
Because the 2026 Gettysburg Address Silver Proof Quarter contains 0.199 troy ounce of fine silver, its intrinsic metal value can be estimated by multiplying the current silver spot price by 0.199.
At a hypothetical silver price of $50 per troy ounce, 0.199 troy ounce contains about $9.95 in silver. At $75 silver, the metal content would be worth about $14.93. These examples explain the calculation only; they do not establish the market value of the coin.
A Silver Proof in original Mint packaging or a certified PF70 Ultra Cameo example may sell above melt value because collectors also evaluate finish, condition, certification, eye appeal, packaging, population, and demand.
Silver content creates an intrinsic-value component, but it does not determine the complete value of a Silver Proof quarter. The 0.199 troy ounce of fine silver moves with the metals market, while Proof quality, certification, grade, eye appeal, packaging, and collector demand can create a separate numismatic premium. Melt value and collector value should therefore be evaluated independently.
PF70 Gettysburg Address Quarter and Certified Examples
Third-party certification creates another collecting category for the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter. Proof and Silver Proof examples may be submitted to grading services where surface preservation, strike quality, contrast, and overall condition are evaluated.
A PF70 grade represents the highest numerical grade on the standard 70-point scale for a Proof coin. Ultra Cameo designations describe strong contrast between frosted design elements and deeply mirrored fields.
A PF70 label should not automatically be treated as evidence of rarity. Total production, the number submitted for grading, the percentage receiving top grades, grading-service populations, label varieties, demand, and later secondary-market availability can all influence premiums.
For collectors assembling a certified five-quarter set, a PF70 Gettysburg coin completes the sequence alongside Mayflower Compact, Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, and U.S. Constitution examples.
Why Abraham Lincoln Was Chosen for the Gettysburg Quarter
Lincoln is inseparable from the Gettysburg Address, but his appearance on the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter also connects several eras of United States coinage. His familiar portrait has appeared on the cent for more than a century, while the 2026 quarter presents a very different interpretation of the President.
The Semiquincentennial portrait focuses on the wartime President. Lincoln’s face is intentionally presented as weathered and burdened, while his gaze looks forward. The visual contrast reinforces the historical position of the Gettysburg Address: a speech delivered in the middle of a devastating conflict that nevertheless looked toward national renewal.
Collectors therefore have an unusual opportunity to compare two Lincoln portraits dated 1776 ~ 2026 within the same anniversary year: the collectible Lincoln cent retains Victor David Brenner’s historic portrait, while the Gettysburg Address quarter introduces the special Lincoln design created for this one-year quarter program.
How to Collect the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter
A basic collection can begin with one Philadelphia and one Denver circulating-quality 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter. Once the coin reaches circulation, collectors can search change, bank rolls, or newly released Mint products for attractive examples from both facilities.
A more advanced collection can include original Mint rolls and bags, P and D uncirculated-set coins, a San Francisco Proof, the 99.9% fine silver Proof, certified circulation strikes, and PF70 Ultra Cameo Silver Proofs.
Another approach is to collect the complete five-quarter Semiquincentennial sequence by Mint and finish. Collectors can build the series with P and D clad examples of all five designs, Proof issues, Silver Proofs, or a complete certified PF70 group. Within that larger set, the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter serves as the final design and completes the historical progression from the Mayflower Compact through Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Historical-theme collectors may build around Lincoln rather than the entire quarter program. The Gettysburg quarter can be displayed with Lincoln cents, Civil War-era coins, presidential medals, or other numismatic material connected to Lincoln, emancipation, the preservation of the Union, and the Gettysburg Address.
2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter Value
The value of a 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter depends first on identifying the exact version being evaluated. A 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter found in circulation, an original Mint product, a Silver Proof, and a certified PF70 example belong to different collector markets, so each should be evaluated according to its Mint, composition, finish, condition, packaging, certification, and current demand.
Ordinary Philadelphia and Denver circulation strikes should not automatically be assumed to carry large premiums simply because they have a one-year anniversary design. Condition, strike quality, surface preservation, distribution, mintage, and later collector demand will matter.
Original Mint rolls and bags can develop separate premiums based on packaging and demand. Proof and Silver Proof versions occupy another market, while certified PF70 coins may carry premiums based on grade, population, label, eye appeal, and collector interest.
The Silver Proof also contains 0.199 troy ounce of fine silver, creating a changing intrinsic-value component. That metal value can rise or fall with silver prices even while the collector premium behaves differently.
2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter Errors and Varieties
Collectors will watch newly released 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter coins for errors and varieties, but unusual appearance alone does not prove that a coin left the Mint with an error.
As of August 2026, no major 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter error or die variety has been widely recognized and attributed by leading grading or variety-attribution services. The circulating release is still developing, and the Mint currently lists collector rolls and bags as an upcoming Fall 2026 product. Reported candidates should therefore be evaluated cautiously until reliable diagnostics and attribution are available.
Potential genuine Mint errors can include off-center strikes, clipped planchets, wrong-planchet errors, multiple strikes, struck-through errors, or other production abnormalities. Die cracks, doubled features, and other apparent varieties require careful examination because mechanical doubling, damage, lighting, photography, and circulation wear can create misleading appearances.
Post-Mint scratches, flattened lettering, discoloration, environmental damage, tool marks, and ordinary wear are not Mint errors. High online asking prices are also not evidence that a Gettysburg quarter is rare or valuable.
Any potentially important 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter error should be evaluated from the physical evidence on the specific coin. Significant candidates may warrant examination by an experienced numismatist or established third-party grading service.
An unusual-looking quarter is not automatically a Mint error. Genuine errors originate during production, while scratches, flattened details, discoloration, environmental exposure, tool marks, and circulation damage occur after a coin leaves the Mint. For collectors evaluating a possible 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter error, the strongest evidence is a repeatable production diagnostic or authenticated physical characteristic—not an unusual appearance, social-media claim, or high online asking price.
What Makes the Gettysburg Address Quarter Worth Collecting?
The 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter combines several major collecting themes in one coin: a one-year Semiquincentennial design, Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, Gettysburg, one of America’s best-known speeches, circulating coinage, Proof production, precious-metal content, and certified modern collecting. The 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter also gives collectors a direct numismatic connection between Lincoln’s wartime leadership, the Gettysburg Address, and the final chapter of the five-quarter America 250 sequence.
Its position as the fifth and final quarter also gives it special narrative importance. The earlier designs explain how the nation was conceived, defended, declared independent, and constitutionally organized. Gettysburg addresses the much harder question of whether that nation could survive its greatest internal conflict and continue advancing its founding ideals.
For collectors who assemble all five designs together, the Gettysburg quarter provides the conclusion. For Lincoln collectors, it provides a one-year presidential portrait outside the cent. For Silver Proof collectors, it adds another 99.9% fine silver issue to the 2026 anniversary set.
Frequently Asked Questions About the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter
Who is on the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter?
Abraham Lincoln appears on the obverse of the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter. The special portrait presents Lincoln as the wartime President who delivered the Gettysburg Address and worked to preserve the Union.
What is on the reverse of the Gettysburg quarter?
The reverse features two hands grasping one another with the inscription A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY. The Mint says the hands represent Lincoln’s efforts to hold the nation together and his appeal to Americans to honor the dead by preserving representative government.
Is the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter silver?
Philadelphia and Denver circulation strikes are copper-nickel clad, not silver. A 99.9% fine silver Proof version was struck at the San Francisco Mint for the 2026 Semiquincentennial Silver Proof Set.
How much silver is in the Gettysburg Silver Proof quarter?
The 2026 Gettysburg Address Silver Proof Quarter contains 0.199 troy ounce of fine silver.
When will Gettysburg Address quarter rolls and bags be released?
As of August 2026, the United States Mint lists the Gettysburg Address quarter rolls and bags for Fall 2026. A specific sales date has not yet been published on the current Mint product schedule.
What does A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY mean?
The wording comes from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and refers back to the founding of the United States in 1776. On the quarter, it connects the Civil War generation to the principles of liberty and equality associated with the nation’s founding.
Is a PF70 Gettysburg Address Quarter rare?
PF70 is a condition grade, not a mintage designation. Rarity and market value depend on total production, certified populations, demand, label variety, availability, and other factors.
Are there known 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter errors?
As of August 2026, no major Gettysburg quarter error or die variety has been widely recognized and attributed. Because the issue is still entering the collector market, reported errors should be evaluated against reliable diagnostics rather than online asking prices or appearance alone.
The Gettysburg Address Quarter in the Five-Coin 2026 Story
The complete Semiquincentennial quarter program can be read as a sequence of ideas. The Mayflower Compact represents consent. The Revolutionary War represents sacrifice and the defense of liberty. The Declaration of Independence represents political independence. The U.S. Constitution represents organized constitutional government. The 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter represents preservation, renewal, equality, and the continuing responsibility to sustain the nation.
That sequence gives the fifth coin unusual weight. Gettysburg does not suggest that the American experiment was finished after the Constitution was written. Instead, it acknowledges that the nation later fractured over slavery, Union, political power, and the meaning of its founding principles.
Lincoln’s words transformed a cemetery dedication into a statement about what the country was fighting to preserve and what still remained unfinished. In that sense, the final quarter turns the entire five-coin sequence back toward the collector: the American story continues beyond the events depicted on the coins.
Official Sources for the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter
Primary coin specifications, design descriptions, artist credits, Silver Proof information, and current release information for this guide were verified against United States Mint materials. Historical context was cross-checked against National Park Service and Library of Congress resources.
Continue exploring SilverPoured’s United States Mint research, coin-value resources, precious-metal tools, and collector education while building your understanding of the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter, its Silver Proof issue, its value, and its place in America’s 250th anniversary coin program.
Whether you are collecting the 2026 Gettysburg Address Quarter, comparing its 99.9% fine silver Proof version with circulating issues, or expanding a diversified bullion portfolio, understanding the difference between intrinsic metal value and collector premium is essential. Established dealers provide another market reference for comparing metal content, premiums, availability, and widely recognized bullion products.
SilverPoured recommends Golden State Mint for investment-grade silver bars, silver rounds, fractional silver, gold bullion, copper bullion, and other precious metals. Comparing modern bullion with collectible United States Mint products can help buyers understand how spot price, metal weight, production limits, condition, scarcity, craftsmanship, and collector demand create very different pricing structures.
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The Gettysburg Address quarter should not be valued as one uniform issue. Philadelphia and Denver circulation strikes, Mint rolls and bags, San Francisco Proof and 99.9% fine silver Proof coins, and certified PF70 examples can share the same design while participating in very different collector markets. Before comparing rarity or value, identify the exact Mint, composition, finish, packaging, condition, and certification. The more precisely the coin is identified, the more meaningful the comparison becomes.
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