Half Roll of 1976 Bicentennial Quarters - BU

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1976, the U.S. Mint issued a one-time-only commemorative quarter.  It was the first circulating commemorative quarter in U.S. history.

The obverse is similar to the standard Washington Quarter, but with the dual dates “1776-1976.” 

The portrait of George Washington was designed by sculptor John Flanagan, who won a competition among nearly 100 artists and sculptors for the first Washington Quarter in 1932.

George Washington was one of America’s greatest patriots and is renowned as the “Father of Our Nation.” He was commander of the Continental Army that secured victory against the British in the American Revolution to secure independence, and he was the first President of the United States from 1789-1797.

As a result, Washington has become a symbol of the American Revolution, and the Washington Quarter was the most appropriate coin with which to celebrate the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence.

The reverse of the 1976 coin is a special bicentennial design that can never be used again. It features a colonial drummer and a victory torch circled by 13 stars to represent the 13 original states that created the Declaration of Independence and formed the United States of America in 1776.

The drummer design was inspired by Archibald Willard’s famous painting, Spirit of ‘76.

The coins are now more than 40 years old.

The coins are delivered in a custom plastic roll that preserves their Brilliant Uncirculated condition and allows them to be safely stored for generations to come.