U.S. Mint 2026 Quarter Description Error
The debut 2026 Semiquincentennial quarter honors the Mayflower Compact, but a closer look reveals key historical inaccuracies in the Mint’s narrative.
The first of the U.S. 2026 Semiquincentennial quarters has now entered circulation. This coin commemorates the adoption of the Mayflower Compact on November 21, 1620. In part, that brief document reads, “covenant and combine ourselves together in a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submissions and Obedience.”
In its January 14, 2026, press release, the U.S. Mint describes the Mayflower Compact as having “established the colony as a mutual enterprise, and its force of law depended on the consent of the colonists themselves to promote the common good. The Mayflower Compact is considered a precursor to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.”
Unfortunately, part of the Mint’s description of the Mayflower Compact is historically inaccurate.
As the approximately 101 members of the English Separatist Church sailed across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Mayflower, the 41 adult male Pilgrims who were not servants signed the Mayflower Compact. It is true that the Mayflower Compact established the colony as a “mutual enterprise,” which was effectively another name for socialism. Under this Compact, private property was not allowed. People were expected to toil to the best of their ability, receiving only what they needed.
The first winter after landing, nearly half the colonists of Plymouth Plantation died. Food was scarce. If not for the generosity of the Indigenous Wampanoag natives, many more would have perished.
William Bradford, governor of Plymouth, lamented in his journal, Of Plymouth Plantation, that the initial “common course” enforced upon the colonists led to severe laziness, resentment, and lack of productivity. The crisis of labor and motivation was caused by 1) for the first two years, all land and crops were held in common, with the harvest going to a central storehouse to be distributed equally, 2) young men who were “most able and fit for labor and service” complained about being forced to work for other men’s wives and children without extra compensation, 3) the able bodied considered it unjust that their efforts yielded no more food or clothing than provided to those who were weak or couldn’t work, 4) women refused to do chores for other men as it was considered a form of slavery, and 5) without incentives, able bodied men often feigned sickness to avoid performing agricultural work.
Governor Bradford concluded that this system, designed to be “fair,” actually produced “scarcity and starvation.” So, the basic tenet of the Mayflower Compact of “mutual enterprise” was jettisoned. In 1623, each household was assigned its own plot of private land to cultivate. That fall, there was a bountiful harvest as private property and free enterprise made “all hands very industrious.”
It was this concept of private property rights and free enterprise, where people had the right to benefit from their own efforts and make their own decisions on how to run their lives, that later formed the bedrock foundation of the Declaration of Independence and then the U.S. Constitution. While it is too late for the U.S. Mint to change the theme of this coin away from the Mayflower Compact, I would hope that the Mint would correct this historical inaccuracy in its online and print postings.
Last column’s numismatic trivia question
Last time I asked— Who was nominated to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of the Treasury at a time when the price of gold was $280 per ounce, which fell to $225 per ounce when he took this office? William P. Fessenden succeeded Salmon P. Chase as Secretary of the Treasury in 1864, serving until 1865. At the time he assumed office, US paper money issues were worth about 36 cents in US gold and silver coins, which had disappeared from circulation. The price of gold, officially at $20.67 per ounce, had soared to $280. While Fessenden could not resolve all the U.S. government’s financial problems wrought by the costs of fighting the Civil War, the price of gold fell to about $225 shortly after he took office.
This week’s trivia question
Here is this week’s question. What was the first U.S. coin to depict the “W” mintmark, representing West Point, New York? Come back next week for the answer.
Patrick A. Heller was honored as a 2019 FUN Numismatic Ambassador. He is also the recipient of the American Numismatic Association 2018 Glenn Smedley Memorial Service Award, the 2017 Exemplary Service Award, the 2012 Harry Forman National Dealer of the Year Award, and the 2008 Presidential Award. Over the years, he has also been honored by the Numismatic Literary Guild, Professional Numismatists Guild, National Coin & Bullion Association, and the Michigan State Numismatic Society. He is the communications officer of Liberty Coin Service in Lansing, Michigan, and writes “Liberty’s Outlook,” a monthly newsletter on rare coins and precious metals subjects. He now volunteers with the National Coin & Bullion Association as its Industry Issues Advisor. Past newsletter issues can be viewed at www.libertycoinservice.com. Some of his radio commentaries, "Things You ‘Know’ That Just Aren’t So,” and “Important News You Need To Know,” can be heard at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday and Friday mornings on 1320-AM WILS in Lansing (which streams live and becomes part of the audio archives posted at www.1320wils.com).
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