MCA 2026 Medal Topples Tyranny

The Medal Collectors of America (MCA) has released its 2026 medal, which celebrates the United States’ semiquincentennial. 

The inspiration for the medal’s design is the destruction of a statue of King George III on horseback in Bowling Green Park on Manhattan Island. The General Assembly of the Colony of New York had commissioned British sculptor Joseph Wilton to create the statue on August 16, 1770. The act was a gesture of gratitude for the king’s support in repealing the Stamp Act of 1765. However, after George Washington read the Declaration of Independence to a crowd near Bowling Green on July 9, 1776, a mob rushed to the statue and tore it down. The lead from the statue was later melted down and cast into musket balls.

The medal’s designer, Heidi Wastweet, pays homage to this event on the reverse. The design features 13 hands, representing the 13 colonies, pulling ropes to topple the statue. UNITED AGAINST TYRANNY • 1776 • 2026 is inscribed below, and E PLURIBUS UNUM appears at left. The obverse features a portrait of Liberty, with her hair unbound and flowing in the wind. Behind her left shoulder is a rod with a Phrygian cap. Above Liberty is the inscription LIBERTAS AMERICANA, with MEDAL COLLECTORS OF AMERICA in the bottom-left corner. 

The bronze medal is available for purchase through the MCA’s website for $250 for MCA members, with a mintage of 76. Nonmembers may purchase the medal by contacting the MCA.

This story was adapted from an article by Dr. Stephen K. Scher.