2026-S Wisconsin Proof

San Francisco struck the 2026-S Wisconsin Proof as one of two San Francisco formats for the design, alongside a matching reverse proof, with per-design mintage not yet finalized at writing. The standard proof ships through the 2026 American Innovation Proof Set, the closed-channel product that has carried every state proof in the program since 2019. The reverse, designed by Artistic Infusion Program designer Paul Romano and sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist John P. McGraw, is a stylized aerial view of the Cray-1 supercomputer with the cabinet outline worked into a C, signaling both "Cray" and "computer." Inscriptions read UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WISCONSIN, and CRAY-1 SUPERCOMPUTER. The 2026 obverse continues the Justin Kunz Statue of Liberty sculpted by Phebe Hemphill and adds a Liberty Bell privy inscribed 250 for the Semiquincentennial.

Standard proof finish gives mirrored fields and frosted devices. On this design the contrast reads cleanly because the Cray-1 cabinet is the dominant raised element and gathers frost across a continuous curve, set against the high-polish background. Most examples certify with Cameo, the strong contrast between mirrored fields and frosted devices, or Deep Cameo (DCAM) under PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company. PR70 results are common given modern strike quality and careful capsule packaging. The Cray-1 itself was built in Chippewa Falls by Cray Research, the company Seymour Cray founded in 1972; serial number one shipped to Los Alamos in 1976 at roughly 160 megaflops and held the world's-fastest commercial computer title through 1982.

The 2026-S Proof is a common type-set strike for collectors building the proof side of the Wisconsin design. The badge stays Regular per program convention; proof scarcity is conveyed in prose rather than the badge. Recommended certified at PR69 or PR70 Deep Cameo for registry pursuits and raw inside the original 2026 American Innovation Proof Set for collectors keeping the program intact in its issued packaging. The reverse-proof companion is the format buyers reach for when they want both finishes from San Francisco for a complete four-strike Wisconsin run. For program scope and the state-by-state rotation through the scheduled 2032 close, see the American Innovation Dollar series history.