The Complete Bicentennial Ike
Collection
All 8 of them!
The
answer is yes! There were 8 Eisenhower Dollars struck for the Bicentennial
celebration in 1975-76. The average person would have said 3 - a coin struck
for circulation from Philadelphia and Denver and then the special proof issue
struck at the San Francisco Mint … but that’s only a third of the
story.
The Event
To
celebrate the Bicentennial, the 200th anniversary of our independence, the US
Mint created special designs for our Washington Quarter, Kennedy Half Dollar,
and the Eisenhower Dollar. The coin designs were open to the public with nearly
1,000 entries submitted. The original Eisenhower design was in honor of both
President Eisenhower and the first landing of the moon. The obverse was the bust
of President Eisenhower facing left. The reverse was an adaptation of the
official Apollo 11 insignia. The new bicentennial design highlighted the Liberty
Bell superimposed on the moon. It was designed by Dennis R Williams. The
obverse added a dual date (1776-1976). The bicentennial coins would be released
for a two year period … 1976 and 1976.
The First Coins of 1975 and the Change
The first year of issue for the bicentennial was an
exciting one ... people loved the new designs. But the US Mint didn’t, so after
a few months changes were made to the design. The issue - the lettering around
the commemorative design was not crisp. It was flat and the coin looked
circulated even when freshly struck. The design was changed … the words “United
States of America” and “One Dollar” were redone with a sharp and more delicate
lettering. They are referred to as Type 1 and Type 2. To the eye a Type I has thick reverse
letters, while the Type 2 has thin reverse letters. There were no 1975 dated
quarters, halves, or dollars … but with the design change on the Eisenhower in
1976 we can actually say the Type 1 was the 1975 Eisenhower Dollar.
The Secret Silvers
As part
of the celebration the US Mint introduced a 40% silver collector version of all
three Bicentennial designs. The silvers carry the “S” Mint mark from the San
Francisco Mint and were created in uncirculated and proof conditions. They were
only sold in 3 coin collector packs.
The Complete Collection – All 8
Coins
We’ve
put them all together in one collection - all the uncirculated, all the proofs,
and the two special silver releases. Here’s what you get: the Philadelphia and
Denver issues in uncirculated condition - both the Type 1 & 2 versions (4
coins) ... the special release San Francisco Mint proof - both versions (Type 1
& 2) and the two secret silvers ... the proof and uncirculated. Each coin is
encapsulated and presented in a custom display.
