Bill Proposing $2.50 Coin Passes House Vote

Republican Alabama Congressperson Robert Aderholt introduced a bipartisan bill in partnership with Democratic New Jersey Congressperson Bonnie Watson Coleman proposing a $2½ coin to honor the nation’s $250th anniversary. The House unanimously passed the bill on February 9, and it awaits a vote in the Senate.

The Two Dollar and 50 Cent Coin for America’s 250th Act would authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a circulating coin with a face value of $2.50. It also called for issues “in silver, clad, and other alloys, including gold.” The design will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence “during the first five years of [the coin’s] issuance. However, subsequent designs may be selected by Treasury to celebrate the founding of the United States.”

Aderholt, who told the press he remembered the excitement of the nation’s bicentennial in 1976 when he was a kid, says, “Americans from all walks of life should be able to carry a small reminder of our nation’s greatness with them every day, celebrating our country jingling right there in their pockets.” Watson Coleman said the bill “continues a long tradition of commemorating our nation’s milestones through coinage.”