We are excited to release the twelfth and thirteenth coins in the CollecTons Keepers program, an exclusive series only offered by CollecTons. The twelfth and thirteenth coins we present as a pair, CollecTons Keepers #12 and #13 in Series, feature the rare 1976-S Bicentennial Clad Washington Quarter Certified in Exclusive ANACS Gem Proof Holder and the rare 1976-S Bicentennial Silver Washington Quarter Certified in Exclusive ANACS Gem Proof Holder.
Why is the 1976-S Bicentennial Washington Quarter a Coin Worth Keeping?
In 1973 Congress approved a redesign of the reverse of the quarter, half dollar, and dollar coins in honor of the 200th anniversary of U.S. independence. In addition to the circulating commemorative coins, Congress dictated that a small number of the coins were to be minted in a 40% silver clad with a proof finish as well as a regular clad proof issue for collectors. Both the silver clad and the circulating coins would all bear the dates 1776-1976 and the coins would be minted for delivery after the 4th of July, 1975 and prior to the end of the 1976 Bicentennial year. Fearing that a low mintage of the coins bearing the date 1975 would create a hoarding situation the Mint continued producing 1974 dated coins until it began minting the Bicentennial pieces. These Bicentennial pieces are widely considered to be both 1975 and 1976 coins.
The Treasury Department held a competition to select the reverse designs for the three coins. 884 entries were received and the entries were reviewed by a panel of 5. The winner of the quarter competition was Jack L. Ahr. Ahr's design featured a colonial drummer with a torch of victory surrounded by thirteen stars to represent the original colonies. William Smith, who had designed a postage stamp featuring a drummer, accused Ahr of copying his work. Ahr denied the accusation and stated that his son had been the model for the drummer. According to numismatic historian Walter Breen, "both obviously derive from Archibald Willard's 1876 painting Spirit of '76," a painting which both designers undoubtedly saw sometime in their lives. Mint Director Mary Brooks, in a letter to Smith, declared that the design for the quarter was "sufficiently original" to impress the National Sculpture Society and would be used for the reverse of the quarter. Frank Gasparro, the Chief Mint Engraver at the time, made minor changes to the quarter's reverse design, simplifying it a bit and altering the drum and drummer for the sake of authenticity. While Ahr expressed a desire to have more time to complete his design, he did agree that Gasparro's changes had been an improvement to his design.
The 1976 Washington Quarter is one of the most important U.S. modern coinage issues, as it led the way for future commemorative coins, as well as the statehood quarters, and America the Beautiful quarters. With George Washington having such a major role in the American Revolution, the quarter was an obvious choice to be included in the celebration of the 200th anniversary of U.S. independence.
Coin Specifications for Clad Issue #12 in Series*
Year: 1976
Mint: San Francisco
Mintage: 7,059,09
Designers: John Flanagan (obverse) and Jack L. Ahr (reverse)
Composition: Outer layers of .750 copper, .250 nickel bonded to inner core of pure copper
Weight: 5.67 grams
Diameter: 24.3mm
Edge: Reeded
Coin Specifications for Silver Issue #13 in Series*
Year: 1976
Mint: San Francisco
Mintage: 4,000,000
Designers: John Flanagan (obverse) and Jack L. Ahr (reverse)
Composition: Outer layers of .800 silver, .200 copper bonded to an inner core of .209 silver, .791 copper.
Weight: 5.75 grams
Diameter: 24.3mm
Edge: Reeded
What makes the CollecTons Keepers program special?
Here at CollecTons, we work hard researching coins that should be part of every collection. Our goal is to utilize our knowledge in the numismatic industry to select coins worthy of being in everyone's collection! Therefore, the CollecTons Keepers program will only feature those Coins Worth Keeping.
Each coin is hand selected and given to ANACS (America's Oldest Grading Service) for grading and authentication. The coins are then sealed in an ANACS certified proprietary slab holder for long-term storage, with our limited edition label marking it a CollecTons Keeper.
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