What comes next for the U.S. quarter after 2026? That was the question CoinHub founder Blake Alma put to Mint Director Paul Hollis during our interview with Justin Couch of Couch Collectibles. Blake asked about state capitals, landmarks and sports. Hollis's answer focused on the challenges of sports themes and his interest in telling America's history.
Alongside that conversation, the Mint has a published plan for youth-sports quarters from 2027 through 2030. The Washington design sheet below belongs to that program. It shows official proposals for the front of the coins, not final approved designs. Here is what Hollis actually told us, what the Mint records establish and what collectors can see in the artwork.
The short version: The series runs from 2027 through 2030. The Mint plans 20 youth-sports designs. Washington stays on the front, but the law calls for a new portrait. The review panels' choices are advice, not the Treasury secretary's final decision.
What Paul Hollis actually said about future quarters
In the full CoinHub interview, Blake asked what the quarter program could look like beyond 2026. His question included state capitals, major landmarks and sports-themed quarters. It begins at about 10:05 in the recording.
Hollis began his answer at about 10:35: Sports are kind of challenging because you've got trademark issues and concerns.
He then turned to his love of history and the public response to the State Quarters program.
The idea he singled out was honoring the Declaration of Independence's 56 signers. Hollis described wanting Americans to learn more of their names and stories. He pointed to the quarter as a good way to do that. Blake agreed, recalling how a presidential coin series helped him learn the presidents when he was young.
Hollis did not announce the five 2027 sports or select a Washington portrait in that exchange. He also did not say the youth-sports program had been cancelled. His remarks about trademarks should not be turned into a claim that the planned series cannot proceed.
These are two different parts of the story. Our interview records Hollis's views and an idea he would like to pursue. The Mint's published program and official design-review documents describe the quarters planned for 2027-2030. The interview does not establish a release year or an approved coin program for the 56 signers.
A closer look at the proposed Washington quarter designs
The design sheet below shows very different ways to picture the same person. Some portraits fill almost the whole coin. Others show Washington in military dress or on horseback. All concern the obverse, the front or heads side, rather than the youth-sports scenes planned for the backs.
GW-01: a close-up with a different point of view
Look at the upper-left design in the sheet. Washington faces left, with his head viewed from a low angle. His face and coat fill much of the circle. The words "IN GOD WE TRUST" sit near his shoulder, and the denomination appears as 25 cents using the cent symbol.
This is GW-01, the design backed by the CCAC on November 18, 2025. To our eye, its close crop gives the portrait a strong presence. That is a comment on the drawing, not a prediction of how its details would strike or wear on a real coin.
GW-03A: Washington in uniform
The left-hand image in the second row takes another approach. It shows a right-facing Washington with a military coat and a clear shoulder ornament. There is more room around his head, with LIBERTY above and QUARTER DOLLAR below.
The CFA preferred GW-03A in its January 22, 2026 review, while suggesting that Washington look slightly older. The two panels therefore favored different portraits. Neither recommendation is the Treasury secretary's final selection.
The horseback proposals tell a larger story
The three designs across the third row are easy to spot: Washington appears on horseback rather than as a head-and-shoulders portrait. They would make the front of the quarter feel more like a scene. The surrounding figures, horse and setting compete for space within that small circle.
That contrast is worth studying. A close-up asks you to read a face; a scene asks you to follow an action. Try viewing the sheet from farther away. Which design still reads clearly? This is a useful way to compare the drawings, though it cannot tell us which would work best after striking.
Small lettering choices make a big difference
The lower rows return to portraits, with changes in the angle of Washington's head and the placement of the words. Some proposals spell out the denomination; others use a shorter form. LIBERTY and the two mottoes also move from one design to the next.
The codes beneath the drawings identify proposals. They are not mint marks, error varieties or an issue order. The 19 images in this sheet do not mean 19 Washington quarters have been approved for release. They let us compare options considered for the front of the new series.
Official artwork, not a final unveiling: These candidates were already under public review in 2025 and early 2026. A newly shared image does not make them newly announced final designs. The Mint sources checked for this update did not reveal a final unveiling of the 2027 quarter designs.
What is the 2027 quarter series?
The Mint's Youth Sports program will move quarters from America's 250th anniversary themes to the sports young Americans play. These quarters are meant for use as money, not just as medals. They are U.S. Mint coins, not pieces made by a private firm.
The plan has been in motion for years. Public Law 116-330, approved January 13, 2021, calls for the series to run from 2027 through 2030. It allows up to five new quarter designs each year, with one sport on each reverse. The reverse is the back of a coin.
The Mint's July 2026 newsletter describes 20 sports for the four-year set. That means 20 sports-themed designs, not only 20 coins being made. You can also choose to collect coins from each mint or coins with each type of finish.
Which sports are planned for the first year?
Two panels review coin designs and advise the Treasury. They are the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). The CCAC's February letter and the CFA review name these five sports for 2027:
- Baseball
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Snowboarding
This list tells us the sports under review. It does not give the order in which the quarters will reach banks or go on sale. Nor does it mean every drawing for those sports will become a coin.
The panels did not always favor the same artwork
The review records show why a design's status matters. For golf, the CCAC backed GOLF-07, while the CFA favored design number 4. For soccer, the two panels also favored different designs. Their advice helps guide the final choice; it does not settle it.
For collectors, a candidate code helps keep track of each drawing. It is not a new coin variety, a mint mark or a reason to expect a rare coin. A list of the panels' picks should be labeled as advice, not final designs.
What changes after the 2026 quarters?
The 2026 quarters celebrate America's 250th anniversary. Their history themes belong to a one-year program. The Mint's anniversary media kit confirms that quarters and half dollars move into sports programs in 2027. They will not simply return to their old designs.
For quarters, George Washington must stay on the front. The law calls for a new likeness that sets this series apart from the one before it. The changing youth-sports scenes will appear on the backs.
The half dollar is related but separate. Its new reverse series will honor Paralympic sports, while its front must retain a likeness of John F. Kennedy. Do not mix those half-dollar designs into a checklist of the five 2027 quarter subjects.
Why this could be a good series for new collectors
A sports quarter offers a simple place to start: look for an activity you recognize. A young baseball player might save the baseball quarter first. Someone who follows winter sports might start with snowboarding. The connection can come before the vocabulary, albums or price guides.
Families could build a collection together without making it a race to buy everything. One example would be saving one of each year's sports designs, then comparing how the artists show motion on such a small surface. A golf swing and a snowboard jump pose very different design challenges.
That is a chance to start collecting, not a claim about future prices. A new design does not make a quarter rare. It can still be worth keeping because you like its subject or want to follow the series from the start.
How to prepare without getting ahead of the facts
- Start with a five-sport checklist. Leave the release dates blank until the Mint publishes them. The five known subjects are not a confirmed release sequence.
- Choose your collecting goal. One example of each design is different from collecting every mint location and finish. Our proof set versus mint set guide explains those two collector formats.
- Wait for the exact product listing. Check the finish, metal, price and limits for the item actually offered. Our guide to Mint limits explains why a mintage limit and a household limit are not interchangeable.
- Keep artwork in context. A proposal helps you follow the design process. It does not prove the appearance, availability or future value of a finished coin.
The big change is already clear: quarters are heading into a four-year youth-sports series. The next milestone to watch is the Mint's final design announcement and release information. Until then, collectors can enjoy comparing the proposals without mistaking them for coins already on the way to their local bank.
Updated October 1, 2026 to give the quarter discussion from CoinHub's interview its full context and add Blake Alma's supplied design image, used with his authorization. Hollis discussed trademark concerns and the 56 signers; he did not announce the 2027 sports lineup in that exchange. The program details come from the separate Mint, CCAC and CFA sources linked above. Candidate artwork is not a photograph of a struck coin. Main image: a real 1954 Washington quarter photographed by Amfeli, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0. It illustrates an earlier quarter, not a 2027 design. CoinHub layout and branding added; coin details unchanged.
