Striking Independence for National Coin Week
With word play coin collectors love, the American Numismatic Association is celebrating National Coin Week 2026 as “Striking Independence: 250 Years of American Numismatics”. From April 19 through 25, this fascinating hobby is enjoying a well-deserved spotlight tied to the Semiquincentennial. (Find what Littleton Coin is doing locally at the end of this blog!)
Mirroring American Life
Since its colonial era, Americans have used coins to define an identity independent of the royal crown. Its early coins featured motifs relating to trees found in abundance in New England: pine, willow and oak.
Fast forward to the 1783 Treaty of Paris. It ended the American Revolution and recognized the United States as sovereign. Two years later, Thomas Jefferson proposed the dollar as the new nation’s monetary unit and that it be divided into tenths (dimes) and hundredths (cents). He also recommended coin denominations of a ½, 5, 20, 25 and 50 cents.
On July 6, 1785, Congress adopted Jefferson’s decimal system with the dollar as the standard unit. When the U.S. Mint was formally established by legislation in 1792, the exciting process of designing new motifs to symbolize uniquely American ideals began in earnest.
Like a springboard, the USA’s 250th anniversary gives new collectors opportunity to see what attracts their fancy…and their budget. We’ve created an entire section on our website devoted to SemiQ offers . Take a look, too, at our affordable challenge coins, especially the one for the 1804 Draped Bust Coin; our earlier one on Benjamin Franklin’s Fugio sold out!
Thanks to requests for starter kits, we have curated a nice selection of offers for beginning collectors that includes cents, quarters, Kennedy half dollars, and American Innovation dollars. We also offer a starter kit just for children.
Before I go on, let me also invite you to join the American Numismatic Association (ANA). Many of us here at Littleton Coin, including chairman David M. Sundman, are members. We find its robust online presence complementary to our collecting interests.
Colonial and Continental Notes
Because the 13 colonies weren’t authorized by the British Parliament to issue money, settlers in the various provinces came up with their own notes, as well as coins, to meet the demands of local trade. Issued between 1690 and 1781, Colonial Notes originally served as payment for military campaigns and public works for the issuing colony.
Then, on May 10, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the first federally issued paper currency. These Continental Notes entitled the bearer to face value in silver coins struck at mints in Mexico and South America. More importantly, they provided critical financing for the American Revolution.
Visit Littleton’s Money Museum This Year!
In honor of the nation’s SemiQ, we’ve added rarely seen artifacts to Littleton’s Money Museum. They include a Comitia Americana Washington Before Boston medal and a George Washington Funeral Medal worn in commemorative parades following his death on December 18,1799. Those public displays of grief lasted through his birthday on February 22, 1800, when the day was declared a national day of mourning.
Come discover how America’s coin and currency history evolved for over 250 years by taking one of our free, 30-minute tours. Led by our knowledgeable staff, and suitable for all ages, they are held at 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. School tours welcomed and by appointment. To make reservations, call: 1-800-645-3122.
“We loved the coin tour. It was a great history lesson of our country.” D.D. from Enfield, CT told us in 2025.
In addition, our Gift Shop is pulling out all the pomp and circumstance for the USA’s 250th with a wide assortment of collectibles, and classics, to help you remember this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Our lobby showroom is open 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. We’re located at 1309 Mt. Eustis Road in the Littleton Industrial Park, accessible from Route 302.
If you’ve taken a tour, you’re invited to leave a comments in the section below. Thanks!
