Rare Bicentennial Quarter: The Bicentennial Quarter is perhaps the single most notable commemorative coinage issue in the history of United States numismatics.
Designed to commemorate the 200th anniversary of American independence, these special quarters depict a colonial drummer on the back and two dates, 1776-1976, on the front and it created a brief stir when they first went into circulation in 1975.
lthough over 1.6 billion were minted, some varieties and errors have become true rarities and have elevated these work-a-day commemoratives to numismatic treasures.
Rare Bicentennial Quarter: Origins and Design
The Bicentennial coinage program started in 1973 when Congress approved special reverse designs for the Quarter, Half Dollar and Dollar which would honor the upcoming 200th Birthday of the United States.
The Treasury Department decided on a design competition to determine the designs for the quarter, and selected Jack L. Ahr’s colonial drummer design among 880 submissions.
Ahr’s obverse portrays a colonial military drummer with a “torch of victory” twined with 13 stars in motion around the outer edges between mintage information The reverse portrays drummer Isadore Ahr.
(Its design not only captured the revolutionary design, but was also able to remain recognizably American coinage!) The obverse continued to feature John Flanagan’s portrait of Washington while the date was changed to the dual date “1776-1976” rather than the usual single date.
One “S” confidence Mills Two-headed Coins Minted after 1969, a 1975 dated quarter does not exist, any 1975 and 1976 dated quarters are are dual dates.
This leaves a radical hole in date runs of Washington quarters and yet another reason why the bicentennial program is so important.
Minting and Distribution
The coins were struck from August 1975 at the Philadelphia and Denver mints; they were released into circulation soon after striking. Proof versions were also struck for collectors at the San Francisco mint. The large production lot comprised:
Philadelphia (no mintmark): 809,784,016Philadelphia mint: 809,784,016 pieces
Denver (D mintmark): 860,118,839 pieces
San Francisco (S mintmark): 7,059,099 clad proofNHU km132b Donate: https://streamlabs.com/robscoinsnslides44 If you would like more information on World Coin Research, please visit our website.
San Francisco: 4,000,000 40% silver proofs and uncirculated pieces
With such a huge mintage, every American would encounter these collector-coins in pocket change, and would have numismatics brought home to them during the bicentennial observances.
The Overlooked Rarities
If the number of circulating coins is any indicator, then some Bicentennial quarters are also among the rarest of U.S. coins:
The 40% Silver Varieties
Special 40% silver uncirculated and proof issues were minted by the San Francisco Mint specifically for collectors only. These silver compositions are easily differentiated by eye based on the differences in luster and the absence of the copper “stripe” that is found on the edge of clad quarters. Brilliant Uncirculated examples in high state of preservation can trade for large premiums at the very least when displaying deep cameo contrast, or a very sharp strike.
Double Die Varieties
There are a number of important double die varieties involving the Bicentennial quarter series. Doubling is most prominent on the reverse lettering, seen most noticeably in “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
It was doubled up when the die was made, the multiple strikes from the hub being offset just a little. Though not as noticeable as the 1955 Doubled Die obverse Lincoln cent, these varieties in upper grades are very collectible.
The Rare “Type 2” Reverse
Just a few months into 1976, the Mint made minor changes to the reverse design (Type 1 and Type 2 varieties, as collectors call them).
The Type 2 has crisper, more sharply detailed lettering and design elements. The drummer’s sticks in particular are more distinct.
Both varieties were struck in large quantities, but uncirculated specimens of the Type 2 are tough to find, as they were released from the mint before collectors recognized the difference.
Condition Rarities
What you might be overlooking in Bicentennial quarter collecting One of maybe the most under-the-radar aspects of Bicentennial quarter collecting is condition rarities as in coins that are very common in circulated grades but are truly scarce as they approach uncirculated and better grades. There are several reasons behind this tendency:
Stations of other values were smaller and therefore less prone to bagmarks and handling damage during their manufacture and distribution.
The details of the complex reverse, especially the small elements within the drummer figure, are usually the areas that exhibit weakness, which limits the availability of fully struck pieces with full detail.
The copper-nickel clad compound is especially sensitive to fingerprints, spotting and toning, and pristine white pieces are becoming scarcer with the passage of time.
It’s no surprise – MS-67 condition Bicentennial quarters are seldom encountered, and MS-68 is truly rare. Coins in these grades may sell for hundreds or even thousands of times their face value, especially if they have been approved by CAC (Certified Acceptance Corporation) at the designated grade.
The Collecting Challenge
It is intriguing that a coin produced in such aburdantly large numbers should sky-rocket in value under some circumstances.
The Bicentennial quarters are about the only rarity possibility where scarce numismatic gems ought to be there still from pocket change or forgotten rolls and bags dating back to the 1970s.
For collectors, the series has more than one way of being:
Building a simple type set of Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco coins
Chasing condition census examples for registry set competition
Error and variety collector specializing in the series
Compiling an exhaustive box set of every version, finish, and composition
Preservation Considerations
What a slippery clad the values of Bicentennial quarters are! Copper-nickel socks are hard to keep clean. Unlike silver coins, they are subject to mottling, fingerprints and other development of environmental damage even when kept safely.
Conservation efforts are a subject of ongoing controversy within numismatics, and untouched surfaces are especially popular in today’s sales.
This has led to a situation where nice mint state specimens from original sets, assuming they’re not dingy from sitting in a drawer, have often brought large premiums over typical mint state examples of like grade that have been cleaned or otherwise altered.
Rare Bicentennial Quarter:
But the Bicentennial Quarter represents an interesting numismatic dilemma: a coin minted in numbers over 1.6 billion pieces—but one that harbors truly rare and valuable varieties.
Aside from making collectors feel good upon purchase, this series serves to illustrate that there is more to the numismatic value of silver coins than the mere availability of silver.
Grade, eye appeal, die varieties and preservation all are factors in making a money treasure out of what looks like at first seem to be a common everyday coin.
Though there are other options for relatively inexpensive history coins, such as Buffalo Nickels, Mercury Dimes, Buffalo Nickels and Liberty Nickels, the Bicentennial Quarter is accessible to new and intermediate coin collectors who don’t have a lot of money to invest in numismatics yet prefer not to be priced out, while still mindful of the potential for Americans to find rare coins in pocket change.
