America at 250: Should Our Coins Honor 1776—or More Than That? episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 13, 2026 · 14 MIN

America at 250: Should Our Coins Honor 1776—or More Than That?

from The Smerconish Podcast · host Michael Smerconish

As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, a new redesign of American coins has sparked a familiar national debate. Should commemorative coins focus solely on the founding year of 1776—or reflect a broader, more inclusive version of American history? In this episode of The Smerconish Podcast, Michael unpacks today’s Smerconish.com Daily Poll, explores the controversy surrounding the Semiquincentennial coin designs, and explains how decisions about history, symbolism, and memory end up in our spare change. Thoughtful, timely, and guaranteed to get you thinking—and voting at Smerconish.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, a new redesign of American coins has sparked a familiar national debate. Should commemorative coins focus solely on the founding year of 1776—or reflect a broader, more inclusive version of American history? In this episode of The Smerconish Podcast, Michael unpacks today’s Smerconish.com Daily Poll, explores the controversy surrounding the Semiquincentennial coin designs, and explains how decisions about history, symbolism, and memory end up in our spare change. Thoughtful, timely, and guaranteed to get you thinking—and voting at Smerconish.com.

NOW PLAYING

America at 250: Should Our Coins Honor 1776—or More Than That?

0:00 14:09

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Smerconish Podcast?

This episode is 14 minutes long.

When was this The Smerconish Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on January 13, 2026.

What is this episode about?

As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, a new redesign of American coins has sparked a familiar national debate. Should commemorative coins focus solely on the founding year of 1776—or reflect a broader, more inclusive version of American...

Can I download this The Smerconish Podcast episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!