Values
A 1976 Bicentennial quarter’s market depends on the mint mark, whether it is clad or 40% silver, and the grade. This page is a series reference, not a price list. This chart is the circulating clad drummer reverse.
The G, VF, and MS-63 columns sit in the mintage chart below. Those figures are from the NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. They are a published guide, not an offer and not melt. A blank cell means that grade was not printed in this pass.
A dealer looking at the coin in hand will beat a guide number. If you are trying to sell a pile of them, start with how to sell a coin collection and the Ohio coin dealer directory.
Key Dates
PCGS CoinFacts and NGC named no traditional key-date list for this circulating clad type in this pass. This page will not invent one. Do not call 1976-P a key because 1976-D is missing from the chart.
There is no key-date bolding on the mintage chart for that reason. A worn common clad drummer is still worn.
Errors
These are named types and omissions. This page will not invent a count.
Drummer reverse. Jack L. Ahr’s colonial drummer with a torch and thirteen stars. That is the 1976 type. It is not an error.
1976-D. Denver is the Wikipedia clad business strike. Philadelphia stays the NGC count already on the chart.
40% silver S. A collector planchet. It is not this circulating chart.
Eagle-reverse Washington. A different series. It is not a row here.
Compare the coin in hand to the NGC Coin Explorer Washington page, then stay on the 1776–1976 drummer listing. We do not host their plates.
Varieties
The drummer reverse is the type. Circulating coins are clad Philadelphia and Denver. The 40 percent silver S coin is a different planchet and is not this chart. There is no second drummer design on this page.
Names follow PCGS CoinFacts and NGC, the same publishers this site already cites. This is a name list, not a price list and not a count.
Mintage
Circulating Bicentennial quarters were struck at Philadelphia and Denver. 1976-P stays the NGC Coin Explorer count. 1976-D is the Wikipedia clad business strike. Silver and proof San Francisco coins are not this chart.
| Year | Mint | Mintage | NGC ID | G | VF | MS-63 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | P | 809,784,016 1976 clad drummer reverse. Eagle-reverse Washington and 40% silver are not this chart. | 15896 | $0.50 | $0.50 | $10 |
| 1976 | D | 860,118,839 1976 clad drummer reverse. Eagle-reverse Washington and 40% silver are not this chart. | — | — | — | — |
Mintage: NGC Coin Explorer, retrieved 2026-08-23. A blank year in the prose is a year NGC did not print. These are Explorer manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Collector-standard year/mint presentation follows A Guide Book of United States Coins (the Red Book). These cells are Mint manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Values: NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. Guide values, not offers. Not melt. NGC IDs link to the same publisher’s price-guide listing.
Key date names: NGC Coin Explorer. Bold rows are only dates that publisher named.
NGC ID: NGC Coin Explorer listing number, retrieved 2026-08-21. A dash means this pass did not record an ID.
1976-D is the Wikipedia clad figure. Silver and proof San Francisco coins stay off. The grade columns in the same box are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer.
Read the dual date. Read the reverse. Look at Washington’s cheek before you argue silver.
Specifications
These are mint specs, not what a dealer pays. Wear can take a little weight off. We will not invent a tolerance.
A circulating Bicentennial quarter is copper-nickel clad on a 24.3 mm planchet. 40% silver collector strikes are a different planchet. This page will not invent a fine-silver number for those strikes.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24.3 mm |
| Thickness | 1.75 mm |
| Weight | 5.67 g |
| Composition | copper-nickel clad copper |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | John Flanagan / Jack L. Ahr |
Thickness 1.75 mm, weight 5.67 g, and diameter 24.3 mm are the Numista circulating Bicentennial quarter type page (N#56). 40% silver Bicentennial quarters are a different planchet and are not this page.
Grading
A 1976 Bicentennial quarter wears first on Washington’s hair and cheek, and on the drummer’s drum and arms. The drummer reverse is a type, not a grade.
This page is the circulating copper-nickel clad coin. 40% silver Bicentennial quarters are a different planchet. Eagle-reverse Washington is a different series.
Key Diagnostic Areas
| Area | What to examine | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Washington’s hair and cheek | The hair above the ear and the cheekbone. | Those high points flatten while the coat can still look busy. |
| The drummer | The drum, the arms, and the torch with thirteen stars. | The reverse high points go slick with the cheek. That is wear, not a 40% silver coin. |
| Date and mint mark | 1776–1976 and D when the mint marked it. | A worn dual date is a worn quarter. S silver is a planchet, not a grade. |
| Fields | Bag marks in the open fields and on the cheek. | On mint-state coins, marks and luster decide the number. White is not a grade. |
Circulated & Mint State
These cards describe this coin, not a second copy of the P-1 through MS-70 chart. The shared numbers live on the glossary.
See graded photos. The photos that show what VF looks like live at PCGS. We do not host their plates. NGC Coin Explorer is another look if you want a second set.
What each named grade looks like on this design.
Poor
Poor
A disk you can still call a Bicentennial Washington quarter if you already know the type.
- Washington’s cheek and the drummer are gone.
- The date may be a shadow. Do not scrape it.
- Shine does not make this a better coin.
AG
About Good
You might read a digit. The high points on this Bicentennial Washington quarter are already slick.
- Washington’s cheek and the drummer are worn to a blank patch.
- If you cannot read the date without hoping, stay here.
- A 1976-P is still this grade if it is this worn.
Good
Good
The date is readable. The design is still mostly an outline.
- Washington’s cheek and the drummer are flat. The type is an outline, not a portrait.
- The rim should be full enough to hold the legend.
- This is a worn coin, not a details story.
VG
Very Good
The date is clear. A little life returns away from the high points.
- Some leftover detail sits away from washington’s cheek and the drummer.
- The high points are still tired.
- Do not clean the date to “see it better.”
Fine
Fine
You can follow the design. The high points are outlined, not sharp.
- Washington’s cheek and the drummer are outlined and flat — no real sharpness yet.
- The rest of the coin can look busier than the grade.
- The date should be clear. The mint mark should be too, if there is one.
VF
Very Fine
The type is doing real work. Washington’s cheek and the drummer still decide.
- Leftover detail sits on washington’s cheek and the drummer. The centers are still the worn spot.
- Marks do not raise the grade.
- A regular 1976-P is still this grade if it is this worn.
EF
Extremely Fine
Most of the coin looks sharp. The high points tell on it.
- Light wear on washington’s cheek and the drummer.
- The rest of the coin can look better than the grade. Trust the high points.
- The date should be sharp.
AU
About Uncirculated
Almost no wear — and “almost” lives on the same high points.
- A trace of rub on washington’s cheek and the drummer.
- Luster may still sit in the fields. Rub on those high points is still rub.
- A bright coin with a slick high point is still slick.
Basal MS
Mint State
No wear. The fight is marks and luster, not how white the coin looks.
- No rub on washington’s cheek and the drummer.
- Marks and luster decide how this mint-state coin lives.
- A bright chewed-up coin is still chewed-up.
Choice
Choice Mint State
Still no wear. Cleaner fields than basal mint state.
- Same no-wear rule on washington’s cheek and the drummer.
- Fewer marks in the fields. Luster is more intact.
- White is not a grade.
Gem
Gem Mint State
A clean Bicentennial Washington quarter for this type. Still mint state, still not a story.
- No wear on washington’s cheek and the drummer.
- Marks and luster, not a romance about a date or a white field.
- A slab is an opinion in plastic. The glossary has the numbers.
Proof clad and 40% silver Bicentennial quarters exist. This page does not invent a PR price grid. The proof numbers live on the glossary.
Copper color designations (BN, RB, RD) do not apply here. See the Lincoln Wheat cent and the glossary.
Overview
A Bicentennial Washington quarter is a United States circulating commemorative quarter dated 1776–1976 with Washington on the front and a colonial drummer on the back. Collectors mean those clad coins. People also call it the drummer quarter. Both names point at the same 1976 reverse.
People like them because the dual date is easy to show someone across a table. They are also easy to ruin. A wiped coin looks “better” to a seller and worse to everyone else.
This page is a series article, not a shop listing.
History
The Mint used the drummer reverse on quarters dated 1776–1976. Circulating coins are clad. San Francisco made 40% silver collector strikes. Those silver coins are not this page. Eagle-reverse Washington returns on its own series page. The Bicentennial Eisenhower dollar is a different denomination.
This page will not invent a 1976-D count to fill the blank NGC cell.
Design
Obverse: Washington facing left, “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and 1776–1976. Reverse: a colonial drummer facing left, a victory torch with thirteen stars, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and “QUARTER DOLLAR.” The mint mark sits on the obverse when the coin is from Denver or San Francisco.
Look at the cheek, the drum, and the dual date. Those spots go flat first. The drummer is a type.
People Also Ask
What year is the Bicentennial Washington quarter?
Circulating Bicentennial quarters are dated 1776–1976. Philadelphia stays the NGC count. 1976-D is the Wikipedia clad business strike. Silver and proof S coins stay off this chart.
How much is a 1976 Bicentennial quarter worth?
It depends on the mint mark, whether it is clad or 40% silver, and the grade. The G, VF, and MS-63 columns in the mintage chart are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer. A dealer looking at the actual coin will beat a guide number.
Is a Bicentennial quarter silver?
Circulating P and D coins are copper-nickel clad. 40% silver S strikes are collector planchets. This page is the clad drummer reverse only.
Is the eagle-reverse Washington on this page?
No. Eagle-reverse Washington 1932–1998 is a different series. The 1976 drummer reverse is this page.
Why were the two mints split across sources?
NGC printed 1976-P and left 1976-D blank. Denver is the Wikipedia clad figure. This page does not replace the Philadelphia count NGC already printed.
Should I clean a 1976 quarter before I sell it?
No. Dip, polish, or a kitchen scrub usually cuts the price. Leave the coin as it is and let a dealer tell you what they see.
Collector Considerations
Buy the coin, not the story. A common clad 1976 in a high grade can cost more than a worn silver S. That is normal.
If you inherited a box, do not scrub the date to “see it better.” Keep them in the holders they arrived in, or in cheap cardboard flips, and take the box to a person who sees Washington quarters every week. The coin dealer directory starts in Ohio. This site does not invent shop names to fill a paragraph.
Raw coins are fine. So are slabs. What is not fine is a coin that has been cleaned until the fields look like glass, then offered as “original.”
If you collect by type, one honest circulated clad drummer will teach you the cheek and the reverse. For the eagle reverse, read the Washington quarter. For another 1976 design on this site, read the Eisenhower dollar.
A Final Word
Bicentennial quarters reward people who slow down. Read the dual date. Read the reverse. Leave the polish under the sink.
When you want the eagle reverse, the Washington quarter is already here.