I was just looking thought a buncha my proof sets and I noticed that the 1975 set came with the 1776-1976 Bicentennial Design Q, HD and D... I read that they did it for anticipation of a very high demand for the new design of 1976... I'm sure that was common fact for most of ya, but I just read it and thought it was interesting... (Like I said before, I learn something new everyday almost everyday about this great Hobby)... My real question was why only the Q, HD and D had a 1776-1976 Bicentennial Design??? Why not the P, N, D ???? for either or both years (1975 or 76)???? I'm sure it was passed that way by a bill, but why???? I did a search on here, google and yahoo, so I woudn't make anyone mad for asking a question again... I did not find anything realting to my question...
The didn't strike the coins (Q, HD, D) in 1975 in anticipation of and run-up to the 1776-1976 release. It kept them pretty busy. Also, they were (Bicentennial Q, HD, D) struck at all three mints. Take Care Ben
Actually, they struck 1974 dated quarters, halves, and dollars for the first half of 1975, and then struck bicentennials from mid-75 through 1976.
When Congress passes a bill containing certain language, it is frequently the result of back and forth discussion between various special interest groups. Good or bad, at least that's a reason. Other times there is no reason for a bill having specific wording except "just because that's what the author put in it." When you were a kid I'll bet your parents answered many of your "Why?" questions with "Because I said so.". (If you have kids, you've probably given that answer yourself. ) I've heard that some members of Congress felt that the cent, nickel and dime were too small to have proper designs for use as circulating commemoratives, but the real answer to your question is "Because Congress said so."
OK, here's something that might be new to you and everyone seems to have forgotten. There was an open competition for designs. The first place winner went on the quarter because this is the coin that would be used most extensively and the second place win- ner went on the half. There were a few proof sets made in Philadelphia in 1975 with no miint marks in order to publiiize the changes to the coins. These sets were clad and all the coins were supposed to have been destroyed. Somehow a single Ike from these sets apeared in circulation and sold for around $80,000 a few years back. The Ikes in the '75 sets are different than in the '76. The design was changed early in the run so all type I Ikes were minted in 1975. There are two types of the 40% unc sets. One was struck to mint set standards and the other was run off on high speed presses. The latter type is quite uncommon.
To answer smullen's question, possibly the reason they only did the quarter through dollar and not the others was because of tradition. Up until that time there had been a commemorative quarter and dollar, and many commemorative halves, but there had never been a commemorative cent, nickel, or dime.
