1976-D Type 2

The 1976-D Type 2 carries the refined thin-lettering Bicentennial reverse and accounts for the larger share of Denver's combined 103,228,274-piece 1976 output. The Type 2 reverse, with its thinner, taller, largely sans-serif lettering in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, became the standard at both Denver and Philadelphia once the Mint determined the design paired better with Dennis R. Williams's Liberty Bell over moon reverse. Production of the Type 2 at Denver ran from early 1976 through the end of the Bicentennial program, with the dual-dated 1776-1976 retained on every example.

Strike quality on the 1976-D Type 2 is the best of the four Bicentennial varieties across both mints, since Denver's striking advantage compounds with the Type 2 dies' fresher tolerances and cleaner hub geometry. The Liberty Bell shows full detail, the moon surface comes up sharp, and the eleven-letter UNITED STATES OF AMERICA inscription reads clean even on coins from later die states. Most surviving examples grade MS65 to MS67 from broken bags and Mint Set releases, with PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC populations clustering at MS65 and MS66 and a meaningful MS67 population behind them. No counterfeits target the variety.

This is a regular common date and the easiest Bicentennial Eisenhower acquisition across either mint. Pricing has held flat at modest levels for two decades, with the 1976-D Type 2 the default entry point for collectors building a Bicentennial date set. Original 1976 Mint Sets remain the most reliable source of high-grade examples; the dollar in those sets was distributed alongside the matching Bicentennial quarter and half dollar designs by Jack L. Ahr and Seth G. Huntington, and many sets are still sealed in their original packaging four decades later. Raw coins from broken Federal Reserve bags typically cap in the MS64 range. For the design-change context and the broader Bicentennial program history, see the Eisenhower Dollar series history.