2026 Revolutionary War Quarter Launch at Mount Vernon Draws Crowds
Alexandria, VA – Imagine being 7-year-old Levi Carey traveling from the Los Angeles area to Mount Vernon in Alexandria to study American history and arriving on the very day the U.S. Mint is there, handing out free money. Specifically, a shiny new Revolutionary War Quarter featuring your hero, George Washington. It’s like winning the Serendipity Lottery.
The historic coin launch on March 23 was part of the “2026 Semiquincentennial Circulating Coin Program” commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence. It caught many tourists by surprise. Levi, his excited parents Nicolas and Jennifer, and 5-year-old brother Asher joined a short but steady line to receive four of the 1,500 quarters encased in a red, white, and blue cardboard “Liberty, Then Now & Forever” collector’s card. The coins were distributed by U.S. Mint Director Paul Hollis and U.S. Mint staff arriving on the very first day of the quarters’ release into circulation.
“We’re going to go put them in your piggy bank,” Jennifer Carey told her sons, while revealing that their Mount Vernon visit marked the launch of a four-city tour of historic sites in Washington D.C., New York, Philadelphia, and Boston.
An avid reader, Levi explained his fascination with a book titled George Washington’s Breakfast that tells the story of a family memory book discovered in an attic, revealing that “George Washington ate Indian hoecakes made of cornmeal, water, and salt every morning and that he ate three of them,” Levi shared with a satisfied smile. He nodded eagerly when asked if he was interested in seeing Washington’s dining room in the mansion.
Hundreds of Mount Vernon’s Revolutionary War Quarters fell into the eager hands of excited children, many arriving with chaperones who were also unaware of the coin launch event.
Mount Vernon President and CEO Doug Bradburn said, “Washington wanted a focus on ideals and not individuals,” and would be pleased to see the representation of the Revolutionary soldier on the commemorative currency, noting that it was only in 1932, the 200th anniversary of his birth, that Washington’s likeness was placed on the quarter. Hollis and Bradburn emphasized that the new quarter honors the courage and resilience of both George Washington and the Continental Army and features imagery tied directly to the Founding Era, including a depiction of a soldier at Valley Forge.
The George Washington 2026 quarter, featuring a portrait of the First President on the heads side and a Revolutionary War soldier on the tails, joins the Mayflower Compact Quarter, issued in January 2026. Its launch was celebrated in February with a similar event at the National Portrait Gallery. Later this year, these quarters will be joined by the Declaration of Independence Quarter scheduled to be issued in June, the U.S. Constitution Quarter in August, and the Gettysburg Address Quarter in October. These coins will also have the identical 1776-2026 dual dates on their faces.
Sandra McPike of the U.S. Mint remarked that the commemorative coins will only be produced in 2026. “You’ll be able (to acquire them) through your pocket change even though we use less coins these days.” The U.S. Mint (www.usmint.gov/cccra) sells the commemorative coins. Also, the coins will be available at one of three retail U.S. Mint Coin Stores in D.C., Philadelphia, and Denver. The D.C. store is located at 801 9th St. N.W.
“It’s very cool,” said chaperone and parent James Trotter who was visiting with about 22 students, ages 9-10 years, from Goshen Post Elementary School. Fellow chaperone Janie Jenkins said the group of 4th graders were from the Virginia Studies class. “This is right up their alley,” Jenkins exclaimed watching the queue lengthen as students realized the offer of “free money” was real.
