Jeff Garrett: Looking Forward to 2026

Next year is shaping up to be one of the best years for numismatics, ever. The hobby is being blessed by an array of positive tail winds, one of which is the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary celebration. The Semiquincentennial celebrations will focus on the history of the US, and our nation's coinage played an important role in much of that history. Rare coins are a tangible link to many important events of the nation's past.

The US Mint will be celebrating the 250th anniversary with multiple commemorative issues and redesigns of circulating issues. These coins will be marketed not only by the US Mint but by every large mass-market rare coin company in the country. The air waves and the internet will be saturated with ads promoting the many issues the Mint will be producing, and numismatic awareness will be a huge plus for next year.

From the US Mint website:

"A Bold New Look for America's Coins & Medals

On Independence Day 2025, the U.S. Mint proudly began the official countdown to the 2026 Semiquincentennial—250 years of the United States of America.

In celebration of the Nation’s Semiquincentennial, for one year only, the United States Mint is redesigning most of our circulating coins. Authorized by the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 signed into law on January 13, 2021, by President Donald Trump, these coins commemorate 250 years of American Liberty, reflecting our country’s founding principles and honoring our Nation’s history.

2026 SemiQ Numismatic Products

In addition to new circulating coins in 2026, the Mint will issue a variety of exciting new collectible products to celebrate the Nation's SemiQ. The American Buffalo, American Eagle, and Morgan & Peace coins will bear a dual date of “1776 ~ 2026.” These coins, as well as the 2026 American Innovation $1 Coins, will also have a unique Liberty Bell privy mark inscribed with the numeral “250.”

Five Best of the Mint Coin and Medal Sets ... will be available for one year only, starting in 2026. These special sets include 24k 99.99% fine gold coins reissued as faithful representations of historic designs with the original dates of issue to acknowledge each coin’s place in history. The sets include a 1 oz. silver companion medal, featuring a modern design inspired by the 24k gold coin."

The end of the Lincoln cent will be another hot topic for 2026. The public will start hoarding cents and many will probably start collecting them. When the US Mint stopped making Large Cents in 1857, the public became aware of coin collecting. That event created the modern hobby of numismatics when thousands of people started looking for older cents. The American Numismatic Society was established in 1858; that same year, the US Mint began making Proof sets in quantity for collectors, a practice that continues to this day.

Gold and Silver prices have been a major driver of activity this year and there is no reason to think this will not continue into 2026. With gold above $4,200 and silver finally breaking $60 per ounce, many coin shops around the country are seeing huge jumps in activity. The increased bullion business is also driving more rare coins into the market. This week, a client reached out to me wanting to sell his nearly complete set of Ten Dollar Liberty gold coins. The much-higher bullion prices and the demand for rare coins have convinced him that it's time to sell. Many others are doing the same around the country.

Another huge driver for the rare coin market continues to be streaming platforms such as Whatnot and eBay Live. It seems like every dealer with an iPhone is now auctioning coins on these platforms. The demand for coins at the lower end of the market is at an all-time high. These sellers are having a hard time finding enough coins to sell, and the increased demand will undoubtedly lead to increased prices.

The popularity of box breaks for rare coins also continues to be a driver for the market. This trend — which was started by the company VaultBox — now has many other competitors. The demand for coins by these companies has been insatiable. Buyers love the excitement these companies offer and there is little doubt that they will continue to increase offerings in 2026.

The stock market seems to notch a record level on a daily basis. This increased wealth effect has given many buyers of rare coins plenty of capital to pursue their hobby. In a collectibles market where a CGC-certified Superman comic book can bring over $9 million on the secondary market, anything is possible for rare coins! There are more billionaires collecting coins than ever before, and when something comes to market they want, the competition can be fierce. Look for some rare coins to break the all-time records for numismatic sales in 2026.

Speaking of the stock market, the world seems convinced that artificial intelligence (AI) will be the biggest game changer since the industrial revolution. Untold billions of dollars are being plowed into this new technology. It's one of the reasons the stock market has been so robust this year. The creation of the internet was probably the biggest boost for the hobby ever. The market for rare coins would be tiny if the world was not connected, and if the information we all take for granted was not available. The promises of advances in AI is only now being seen in the hobby. There are coin listing programs that will now create descriptions that are close to the quality seen at top auction houses. In the next year, progressive rare coin dealers will be looking to AI for productivity gains.

As an example of how AI can be used, I asked ChatGPT to create an image of Union soldiers burying gold coins in a corn field. This is just one of the possibilities of how the famous "Kentucky Gold Hoard" was deposited in 1863. This image could have been used for marketing and would have been extremely difficult to produce before AI tools became available. This image was basically free and took around 30 seconds to produce. The possibilities are endless and will probably have a profound impact on the hobby. I look forward to exploring this subject in the near future.

In a few weeks, the numismatic community will descend on Orlando, Florida, for the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) annual winter convention. This year's edition will feature the largest bourse ever, with more than 725 tables. This bellwether event is a great way to kick off the start of the new year. Based on all of the above, the 2026 FUN show should be a blockbuster event. Stop by our tables and say hi!

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