The United States Mint is giving collectors little time to catch their breath this week. From August 25 through August 27, the Mint is rolling out a trio of major Semiquincentennial-era offerings: new 1776 ~ 2026 Enhanced Uncirculated Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars, followed one day later by the 1776 ~ 2026 U.S. Constitution quarter rolls and bags, and then, on August 27, the much more exclusive Best of the Mint 1804 Silver Dollar Gold Coin and Silver Medal Set.
For collectors of classic U.S. coinage, the headline releases are the Morgan and Peace dollars and the 1804 Dollar set. The 2026 Morgan and Peace dollars are the first modern issues of these designs from the Mint to receive an Enhanced Uncirculated finish. Each is struck at West Point in 99.9% silver, carries the dual date 1776 ~ 2026, and incorporates a Liberty Bell privy mark bearing the numeral 250 for America’s 250th anniversary. Each is limited to 250,000 pieces and initially restricted to 10 per household.
The 1804 Dollar set is an entirely different proposition. The fourth release in the Mint’s five-part Best of the Mint series pairs a one-troy-ounce, 99.99% fine-gold recreation of the legendary 1804 Silver Dollar with a one-troy-ounce, 99.9% fine-silver companion medal. The set has a 15,000-piece mintage limit and an initial one-per-household order limit. It goes on sale Thursday, August 27, at noon Eastern Time. As of August 26, the Mint still lists the price as TBD, so collectors should not treat third-party estimates as an official Mint price. [3][4]
Together, the releases illustrate two very different sides of modern U.S. Mint collecting: relatively accessible one-ounce silver versions of two beloved 20th-century dollar designs, and a scarce, high-value gold interpretation of one of the most storied rarities in American numismatics.
At a Glance: 2026 Morgan, Peace and 1804 Dollar Releases
| Product | Release date | Mint price | Mintage limit | Initial household limit | Composition | Precious-metal weight | Diameter | Finish | Mint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Morgan Silver Dollar Enhanced Uncirculated, item 26XE | Aug. 25, 2026, noon ET | $169 | 250,000 | 10 | 99.9% silver | 0.859 troy oz. silver | 38.10 mm (1.500 in.) | Enhanced Uncirculated | West Point, no mint mark |
| 2026 Peace Silver Dollar Enhanced Uncirculated, item 26XH | Aug. 25, 2026, noon ET | $169 | 250,000 | 10 | 99.9% silver | 0.859 troy oz. silver | 38.10 mm (1.500 in.) | Enhanced Uncirculated | West Point, no mint mark |
| Best of the Mint 1804 Silver Dollar Gold Coin & Silver Medal Set, item 26BM4 | Aug. 27, 2026, noon ET | TBD as of Aug. 26 | 15,000 sets | 1 | Gold coin: 99.99% gold; medal: 99.9% silver | Gold: 1.000 troy oz.; silver: 1.000 troy oz. | Gold: 30.61 mm; medal: 40.60 mm | Uncirculated | Gold: West Point; medal: Philadelphia |
Important: The 1804 set’s official product page gives a 15,000 mintage limit and one-per-household limit, but its price remains listed as TBD as of August 26. The Mint’s release announcement says pricing will follow its Best of the Mint 1-ounce gold coin/1-ounce silver medal pricing table. [3][4]
Ordering and Buying: What Collectors Need to Know
Morgan and Peace Enhanced Uncirculated Dollars
The Mint began accepting orders for the 2026 Morgan and Peace Enhanced Uncirculated dollars at 12 noon EDT on Tuesday, August 25.
The initial ordering rules are unusually explicit. The Mint set a 10-unit household limit for each coin for 26 hours, beginning at the August 25 launch. For the Morgan, the Mint’s product page states that the 10-coin household restriction remains in place until 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 26. The Peace Dollar carries the same 250,000 mintage and product limits and the same 10-per-household launch restriction.
That means collectors buying one Morgan and one Peace Dollar are not consuming the same household allowance: the limit applies separately to each product.
Both coins are sold directly by the Mint for $169 each. Each comes encapsulated and housed in a blue presentation box with a certificate of authenticity.
The 1804 Dollar Gold Coin and Silver Medal Set
The 1804 set goes on sale at 12 noon ET Thursday, August 27, 2026.
The Mint has established a 15,000-set mintage limit and an initial one-set-per-household order limit. The product page lists no separate product limit beyond the 15,000 mintage cap. The one-per-household restriction is scheduled for the first 24 hours after release. [3][4]
As of the day before release, the Mint has not posted a final dollar price. This is especially important for buyers because the product contains a full troy ounce of 24-karat gold, and the Mint’s Best of the Mint pricing is tied to its gold-price pricing range. The safest approach is to regard the official Mint product page as authoritative at the moment of release.
Practical ordering strategy
Collectors who intend to buy should prepare before the release time rather than waiting until noon.
- Create or verify a U.S. Mint account. Make sure your shipping and billing information are current.
- Sign in before the release. Do not wait until the scheduled on-sale time to troubleshoot an account.
- Confirm the item number. The Morgan is 26XE, the Peace Dollar is 26XH, and the 1804 set is 26BM4.
- Know the household limit. The Morgan and Peace each have a 10-unit initial limit; the 1804 set has a one-set initial limit.
- Use the official Mint listing. Avoid relying on reseller listings for the initial purchase, particularly while the Mint’s 1804 price is still officially TBD.
- Review the cart before checkout. The 1804 set’s high precious-metal value makes payment and shipping details especially important.
- Save the order confirmation. Keep the confirmation number and receipt for your records.
The Mint also notes that household limits are typically lifted one business day after a product goes on sale, although it reserves the right to maintain, change or remove limits as it monitors demand.
Morgan Dollar: A Symbol of America’s Industrial Age
Historical Background
The Morgan Dollar is one of the defining coins of late-19th-century America. Designed by George T. Morgan, the Mint’s assistant engraver who later became chief engraver, it was first struck in 1878 and remained in production through 1904, returning for one final year in 1921.
Its history is closely tied to the nation’s westward expansion, the growth of the silver-mining industry, and the industrial transformation of the United States. The dollar became one of the most widely collected American coins, with a vast range of dates, mint marks and varieties produced at Philadelphia, San Francisco, Carson City, Denver and New Orleans during its original era.
The 1921 Morgan Dollar is particularly significant because it represents the final year of the original design before the Peace Dollar took its place later that year.
The modern Mint has repeatedly returned to the Morgan design because of its enduring popularity. In 2021, the Mint issued modern Morgan and Peace dollars to mark the centennial of the transition between the two designs. The 2026 issue adds the Semiquincentennial’s 1776 ~ 2026 dual date and 250 privy mark. [5][6]
2026 Morgan Obverse
The obverse retains Morgan’s classic profile of Liberty facing left. Her hair is arranged beneath a Phrygian or liberty cap, surrounded by floral elements and a crown-like arrangement bearing the word LIBERTY.
The traditional inscriptions remain central to the design: E PLURIBUS UNUM, the date, and 13 stars representing the original states.
For 2026, the conventional single year is replaced by 1776 ~ 2026, turning the coin into a direct visual link between the nation’s founding and its 250th anniversary.
The Liberty Bell privy mark with “250” is the other major modern addition. It serves as the Semiquincentennial signature of the issue without replacing the essential Morgan portrait.
2026 Morgan Reverse
The reverse preserves Morgan’s heraldic eagle. The bird spreads its wings while clutching arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other, symbols of military readiness and peace.
The eagle is framed by the traditional wreath, with the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, IN GOD WE TRUST, and ONE DOLLAR.
The 2026 coin therefore remains immediately recognizable as a Morgan Dollar while incorporating a distinctly modern anniversary element.
Peace Dollar: From World War I to a New American Identity
Historical Background
The Peace Dollar emerged from a very different moment in American history.
In December 1921, Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon approved a new dollar design to replace the Morgan Dollar. Sculptor Anthony de Francisci, an Italian American artist, created the design.
The Peace Dollar was first struck in 1921 and continued through 1928, with production resuming in 1934 and 1935. It commemorated the end of World War I and the nation’s transition into an era in which the United States was increasingly recognized as an international power.
The design’s symbolism is deliberately different from the Morgan Dollar’s. Where Morgan’s coin evokes the industrial and expansionist America of the late 19th century, de Francisci’s Peace Dollar emphasizes victory, peace and a forward-looking national identity. [5][6]
2026 Peace Obverse
The Peace Dollar’s obverse presents Liberty in profile, facing left and wearing a distinctive radiant crown.
The design was inspired in part by de Francisci’s wife, Teresa, who served as the model for Liberty. The portrait has become one of the most recognizable Liberty images in American coinage.
For 2026, the inscriptions include LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRVST the historically styled spelling used on the Peace Dollar and 1776 ~ 2026.
As with the Morgan, the dual date turns the classic design into a Semiquincentennial issue while leaving its basic artistic character intact.
2026 Peace Reverse
The reverse shows an eagle at rest, clutching an olive branch above the word PEACE.
The composition is intentionally calmer than the Morgan Dollar’s spread-wing eagle. Rather than emphasizing military preparedness, the Peace Dollar’s bird represents the nation returning from war.
Additional inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and ONE DOLLAR.
That contrast between the two dollar reverses is one reason the Morgan-Peace pairing is so compelling to collectors: the coins effectively bookend a transformation in American identity from the industrial expansion of the late 1800s to the post-World War I era.
The 1804 Dollar: America’s Most Famous “Date That Wasn’t”
Historical Background
Few American coins have a story as complicated as the 1804 Draped Bust Dollar.
The first important point is also the most surprising: no 1804-dated silver dollars were actually struck in calendar year 1804.
The U.S. Mint was still using the Draped Bust dollar design in the early 19th century, but the coins later known as “1804 Dollars” were struck decades afterward. The Mint used the 1804 date for special diplomatic presentation sets beginning in the 1830s, and additional examples were produced in the 1850s.
The 1804 Dollar is traditionally divided into three classes. The first class consists of eight known examples struck in the 1830s with the original reverse die. Class II and Class III pieces were struck later using a different reverse arrangement. The Mint’s own Semiquincentennial material notes that eight examples are known from the first strike and seven from the later second strike. [7][8]
These coins became legendary because they were not ordinary circulating dollars. They were associated with diplomatic presentation sets and later with collectors, dealers and some of the most important numismatic transactions in American history.
That history helps explain why the Mint chose the 1804 Dollar for the Best of the Mint program. The 2026 issue does not purport to be an original 1804 silver dollar. Instead, it is a modern 24-karat gold interpretation of the historic design.
2026 1804 Gold Coin Obverse
The gold coin’s obverse recreates the classic Draped Bust portrait of Liberty facing right.
Liberty’s long hair is bound by a ribbon, and she is surrounded by 13 stars. The principal inscriptions are LIBERTY and 1804.
A modern Liberty Bell privy mark with “250” appears as the Semiquincentennial identifier.
The combination is historically evocative but unmistakably modern: the famous 1804 date is preserved, while the privy mark identifies the coin as a 2026 U.S. Mint product.
2026 1804 Gold Coin Reverse
The reverse is the historic heraldic eagle design. The eagle has raised wings and bears a United States shield on its breast.
It holds a scroll inscribed E PLURIBUS UNUM, while its talons carry 13 arrows and an olive branch. Clouds and 13 stars appear above the eagle, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA encircles the composition.
The Mint has also retained an unusual original-style edge inscription: HUNDRED CENTS ONE DOLLAR OR UNIT.
The gold coin is struck at West Point, carries no mint mark, and measures 30.61 mm in diameter. It contains exactly 1.000 troy ounce of 99.99% fine gold. [3]
The Companion Silver Medal
The 1804 set is not simply a gold coin in a presentation box. The second component is a specially designed one-ounce silver medal struck at the Philadelphia Mint.
Unlike the gold coin, the medal is not a dollar denomination and has no legal-tender face value. It is a modern artistic companion to the historic 1804 Dollar.
The Mint says the medal draws on the original coin’s elegant design and diplomatic history. Its obverse uses flowing, ribbon-like hair inspired by Liberty on the original dollar, while the reverse incorporates the historic cloud motif into a braided design surrounding Liberty’s head and a globe. The imagery is intended to evoke the 1804 Dollar’s international diplomatic journey and lasting place in American numismatic history.
The medal measures 40.60 mm and contains 1.000 troy ounce of 99.9% fine silver. It has a plain edge and no mint mark. [3]
Why This Matters for Collectors
1. The Morgan and Peace designs remain among the most important U.S. collector dollars
The Morgan and Peace dollars have developed into modern collecting series in their own right. The Mint’s annual offerings have created multiple finish, mint and privy-mark combinations, allowing collectors to build specialized sets without owning the expensive original-era rarities.
The 2026 coins add another layer: they are one-year Semiquincentennial issues with a dual date and 250 privy mark.
2. Enhanced Uncirculated is a new finish for this modern series
The 2026 Morgan and Peace releases are notable because the Mint describes them as Enhanced Uncirculated. This distinguishes them from the standard Uncirculated and Proof issues collectors have encountered in previous years.
Collectors interested in finish-based sets will therefore have a clear reason to add the 2026 coins even if they already own earlier modern Morgan and Peace dollars.
3. The 1804 Dollar is being brought to a much broader audience
An authentic 1804 Dollar is a trophy coin beyond the reach of most collectors. The 2026 gold issue does not change that reality, nor does it have the rarity or market status of an original 1804 Dollar.
What it does offer is something different: an official U.S. Mint, one-ounce gold interpretation of the design, struck specifically for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
That makes the issue historically accessible in a way the original rarity is not.
4. The 15,000 mintage is significant
The 1804 set’s 15,000-set mintage limit is only half the 30,000-set limit used for each of the first three Best of the Mint releases. That makes the 1804 set the lowest-mintage release in the five-piece series so far.
It is important, however, to distinguish a mintage limit from actual sales. A limit of 15,000 does not automatically mean 15,000 sets will be sold.
5. The price makes the 1804 set a very different collecting decision
The Morgan and Peace dollars are priced at $169 apiece. The 1804 set contains a full ounce of gold plus a full ounce of silver, so its final price will be much higher.
Collectors should evaluate the 1804 set on several levels: historical appeal, gold content, mintage, packaging, design execution and long-term collector demand not simply the metal value of the contents.
6. The releases are tied together by America’s 250th anniversary
The dual dates and 250 privy marks are more than marketing details. They establish a common collecting theme across otherwise unrelated historical designs.
For collectors building a 1776 ~ 2026 Semiquincentennial collection, the Morgan, Peace and 1804 releases offer a particularly attractive cross-section of American coinage history.
Quick-Reference Buying Guide
- Morgan Dollar: The 2026 Enhanced Uncirculated Morgan Dollar is item 26XE, priced at $169, with a 250,000 mintage limit and an initial 10-per-household limit.
- Peace Dollar: The 2026 Enhanced Uncirculated Peace Dollar is item 26XH, also priced at $169, with a 250,000 mintage limit and an initial 10-per-household limit.
- Morgan/Peace timing: Both went on sale August 25 at noon ET. The initial 10-per-household restriction applies for 26 hours, with the Morgan’s product page specifying 2 p.m. ET on August 26 as the end of the initial restriction period.
- 1804 set: The Best of the Mint 1804 Silver Dollar Gold Coin and Silver Medal Set is item 26BM4.
- 1804 timing: The 1804 set goes on sale August 27, 2026, at noon ET.
- 1804 limit: The set is limited to 15,000 pieces, with an initial one-per-household restriction for 24 hours.
- 1804 contents: Each set contains a 1-ounce, 99.99% gold coin and a 1-ounce, 99.9% silver medal.
- 1804 price: TBD as of August 26, 2026. Check the official Mint listing at the time of release for the final price.
- Buy from the Mint first: If obtaining an issue at the original Mint price is the priority, use the official U.S. Mint product page rather than a secondary-market seller.
- Preserve the packaging: For modern Mint issues, the original box, capsule and certificate of authenticity can be important to collectors and may matter when the item is later sold or submitted for certification.
Final Takeaway
The U.S. Mint’s late-August schedule brings together three very different collecting propositions.
The 2026 Morgan and Peace Enhanced Uncirculated dollars offer familiar, highly popular designs in 99.9% silver, but with a new finish and a one-year-only Semiquincentennial treatment. Their 250,000-piece limits make them substantially more available than the 1804 set.
The Best of the Mint 1804 Silver Dollar Gold Coin and Silver Medal Set, by contrast, is a premium, low-mintage product centered on one of the most famous stories in American numismatics. Its 15,000-set limit, one-ounce gold centerpiece and one-ounce silver companion medal make it the standout scarcity play of this particular three-day stretch.
For collectors, the appeal is not merely precious metal. It is the opportunity to assemble modern U.S. Mint issues that connect three landmark chapters in American coinage: the industrial-era Morgan Dollar, the postwar Peace Dollar, and the enigmatic 1804 Dollar.
With the nation’s 250th anniversary providing the common thread, this is one of the more consequential late-August collecting weeks on the 2026 Mint calendar.
Sources and Official References
[1] U.S. Mint, “Morgan Silver Dollar 2026 Enhanced Uncirculated Coin,” item 26XE:
https://www.usmint.gov/morgan-silver-dollar-2026-enhanced-uncirculated-coin-26XE.html
[2] U.S. Mint, “Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars Enhanced Uncirculated Coins Available August 25”:
https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/morgan-and-peace-silver-dollars-enhanced-uncirculated-coins-available-august-25
[3] U.S. Mint, “Best of the Mint 1804 Silver Dollar Gold Coin and Silver Medal Set,” item 26BM4:
https://www.usmint.gov/best-of-the-mint-1804-silver-dollar-gold-coin-and-silver-medal-set-26BM4.html
[4] U.S. Mint, “United States Mint Releases Best of the Mint 1804 Silver Dollar High Relief Gold Coin and Silver Medal Set”:
https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-releases-best-of-the-mint-1804-silver-dollar-high-relief-gold-coin-and-silver-medal-set
[5] U.S. Mint, “Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars”:
https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-programs/morgan-and-peace-silver-dollar-coins/
[6] U.S. Mint, “Celebrating the Iconic Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars”:
https://www.usmint.gov/news/inside-the-mint/celebrating-the-iconic-morgan-and-peace-silver-dollars
[7] U.S. Mint, “Semiquincentennial Coins: U.S. 250th Anniversary Medals,” Best of the Mint #4: 1804 Silver Dollar:
https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-programs/semiquincentennial/
[8] U.S. Mint, “January 2026 Coins Online,” historical discussion of the 1804 Dollar:
https://www.usmint.gov/news/coins-online/january-2026
Disclaimer: Product details, prices, mintages, release dates, and household limits are based on U.S. Mint information available at the time of publication and are subject to change. Collectors should verify current details directly with the U.S. Mint before placing an order.
