1976-S Bicentennial, Clad Proof

The 1976-S Bicentennial Clad Proof Washington quarter was struck at San Francisco to a recorded mintage of 7,059,099 pieces and is the highest-mintage proof issue of the entire Washington series, more than doubling any prior proof figure on the back of the broad Bicentennial commemorative demand. The coin is dual-dated 1776 to 1976 on the obverse, replacing the single year, and carries the colonial drum-and-torch reverse designed by Jack L. Ahr in place of Flanagan's heraldic eagle. The Ahr design won a 1973 Treasury Department open competition that selected new reverses for the quarter, half dollar, and dollar to mark the two hundredth anniversary of American independence. The coin carries John Flanagan's portrait of Washington on the obverse with the JF initials at the truncation of the neck and the S mintmark to the right of Washington's hair queue. Composition is 75% copper and 25% nickel clad over a pure copper core, at 5.67 grams.

Authentication runs through the brilliant proof finish: deeply mirrored fields, crisp square-edged devices, and the squared rim that separates a proof from a well-struck business strike. A weight test at 5.67 grams distinguishes the clad proof from the separately catalogued 1976-S Bicentennial 40% Silver Proof at 5.75 grams, and the two are otherwise visually similar enough that weight is the working diagnostic. The S mintmark sits on the obverse to the right of Washington's hair queue, and the reverse carries Ahr's initials JLA to the right of the drum. Cameo, the strong contrast between mirrored fields and frosted devices, occurs on the majority of dies for this issue, and Deep Cameo specimens at Proof 67 and above are abundant in graded inventory thanks to the seven-million mintage and uniformly high die quality. Proof 70 Deep Cameo populations are larger than for any other Washington proof issue. Certification through PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, or NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, is the working standard for any premium-grade buy.

In today's catalog, the 1976-S Bicentennial Clad Proof is the easiest acquisition in the Washington proof series, with raw and certified supply abundantly available at every grade level through Proof 69 Deep Cameo and only modest premiums emerging at Proof 70 Deep Cameo. The piece serves as the standard type-set choice for collectors representing the Bicentennial commemorative reverse and as a low-cost entry to certified high-grade proofs. Buyers fall into year-set builders, Bicentennial-set specialists assembling the three-coin commemorative group of quarter, half, and dollar, type-set collectors, and Washington completists. For the broader story of John Flanagan's design and the series' proof program, see the Washington Quarter series history.