Yes—U.S. Mint Director Paul Hollis said Lincoln cents would continue in collector sets when Justin Couch asked him about their future. In the CoinHub interview, Couch pressed him on whether the nation’s 250th anniversary would mark the last year. Hollis answered: “Oh, no. We’ll continue.”
That is a direct answer about keeping a collecting tradition alive. It is not a release notice for a named future set. The Mint’s current penny guidance also says it will keep making cents for collectors in small numbers.
Watch the exchange above or open the captioned clip on YouTube. It comes from the full interview with Blake Alma, Paul Hollis and Justin Couch.
The follow-up that made the answer clear
Couch, the creator behind Couch Collectibles, brought a question from his followers. Would the Mint keep putting Lincoln cents in proof sets and mint sets? Those are two kinds of products made for collectors. Proof coins have a special finish; mint sets contain collector uncirculated coins.
Hollis first pointed to cents in the sets already being made. He mentioned the dual date on that year’s proof cents. Couch then asked whether the 250th anniversary made it the final year. That follow-up matters. It moved the question from the current sets to what comes next.
Hollis said collector cents would continue. He spoke about collectors’ affection for the cent and the pleasure of filling penny boards—holders with spaces for coins in a series. He did not want that pursuit to end. His answer addressed collectors who want to keep adding to a long-running collection.
Hollis expressed support for continued collector cents beyond the anniversary year. The exchange did not supply a 2027 product list, a price, a release date or a promise to keep the anniversary date on later coins.
Collector production and pocket change are separate
The Mint’s penny guidance draws a clear line. It has suspended making cents for everyday use. It will still make small numbers for collectors. A cent in a yearly collector set does not mean that the Mint has restarted making pennies for everyday change.
That distinction also helps explain the scope of Couch’s question. He asked about cents in proof and mint sets. He did not ask Hollis to announce a return to supplying new pennies for cash registers.
New to these two kinds of sets? Our proof set versus mint set checklist explains how to tell them apart. Keep the year and finish with your notes. A broad answer about collector cents cannot tell you which set a seller is offering.
What is confirmed for 2026
The Mint’s 2026 annual-set page identifies the anniversary cents with the dates 1776–2026. The official 2026 Proof Set listing includes a Lincoln penny among its ten coins. These are product-specific facts, separate from Hollis’s broader answer.
Our October 6 Proof Set release report covers that set’s sale details. Check the current product listing for any changes before ordering. We have not confirmed the interview’s filming date. Hollis’s words “this year” should not be read as a new announcement made on the date of this article.
How to use the answer in your collection notes
Suppose you keep a year-by-year record of Lincoln cents. You can note that Hollis said collector cents would continue and link the clip. Leave the details of a future set open until the Mint lists what it will contain. That way, your notes record what he said without filling in facts he did not give.
The clip’s value is the follow-up itself: Couch asked whether the anniversary was an ending, and Hollis said it was not. Watch the complete CoinHub conversation for the wider discussion of pennies, collecting and the Mint’s relationship with the hobby.