This is a money & lifestyle blog, but I don’t actually post about actual money very often. Like real coins & bills!

I’m excited to see that starting tomorrow, the US Mint is releasing a full set of America 250 / Semiquincentennial coins for circulation. I’m not sure how many they are stamping out, but I’ll be looking for them in my change right away.

When I was a kid my Grandparents gave my brothers and I a full set of the Bicentennial coins. I remember breaking into my plastic case to spend the money at some point, but I’ve since “replaced’ them with other Bicentennial coins I’ve collected.

(I do have the curious Thomas Jefferson $2 bill they also came out with that year as my parents put that away in their file cabinet and gave them to us when we were adults.)

Here’s the whole America 250 set of coins looks like …

The Mint is selling a uncirculated proof set for $106, but I don’t think I’ll be in line for that. I like to collect coins from circulation that I get in my change.

We have folders with the State & National Park Quarters (and Presidential Dollars) and some older coins in the blue Whitman books. I’ll have to find a cool folder or something to put these new ones in.

You can see from the proof set that there are some 1776-2026 pennies, too – but I don’t think they produce many of those at this point. The same probably goes for the Golden Dollars with Sacagawea on them.

Are you a coin collector of any sort – serious or casual?

Images: US Mint Website