Declaration of Independence
A coin honoring the independence of 1776 with the Liberty Bell and the Declaration.
The third theme of the 2026 quarters marking the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding is the “Declaration of Independence.” Because the number 250 begins precisely from this document, the Declaration of Independence of 1776, it is a coin like the very heart of the series.
The reverse of the coin prominently features the “Liberty Bell,” a symbol of American liberty, with a rolled-up scroll of the Declaration of Independence engraved behind it. Around the rim are the words “THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE” and “LIBERTY.”
The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. With its famous passage that “all men are created equal, and are endowed with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” it is the document that declared to the whole world America’s independence from Britain.
The Liberty Bell inscribed alongside is a bell in Philadelphia that has long symbolized American independence and liberty. Preserved with a crack in it, this bell represents the American ideal that rings out toward liberty even though it is not perfect.
This quarter, on which the bell and the document are placed side by side, reminds us that the nation called America began not upon weapons, but upon a single “declaration”—namely, the belief that people are equal.