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The 1776-1976 Bicentennial Half Dollar remains one of the most widely collected of all modern half dollars, and they’re even among the most common of all Kennedy Half Dollars still found in circulation (mostly by way of bank rolls) today. The story of the 1776-1976 Bicentennial Half Dollar dates back to the early 1970s, when the American Revolutionary Bicentennial Commission Coins and Medals Advisory Committee recommended the production of circulating commemorative coins to honor the nation’s 200th birthday in 1976.
After contentious discourse about whether the government should embark on a Bicentennial coin program, Congress approved a plan for dual-dated 1776-1976 Bicentennial Quarters, Half Dollars, and Dollars bearing reverse designs to be chosen in a national competition. A reverse design by Seth Hungtinton showcasing Philadelphia’s Independence Hall was selected for the half dollar from among nearly 900 submissions; Jack L. Ahr provided a colonial drummer motif for the quarter and Dennis R. Williams offered the dollar coin his visage of the Moon superimposed by the Liberty Bell.
The designs were struck on presentation pieces in 1974 and went into regular production by July 4, 1975; no quarters, halves, or dollar coins bear the 1975 date. The 1776-1976 Bicentennial Half Dollar was struck to the tune of more than 520 million pieces, with the Philadelphia and Denver Mints churning out 234,308,000 and 287,565,248 business strikes, respectively; San Francisco produced 7,059,000 clad proofs, about 4 million 40% silver proofs, and approximately 11 million 40% silver uncirculated strikes.
Most 1776-1976 Bicentennial Half Dollars were hoarded by the public in the mid- to late 1970s, yet they are among the most frequently encountered coins in rolls of half dollars searched by collectors who buy them at banks and other financial institutions. Worn examples of the clad strikes are worth only their face value. However, the 40% silver uncirculated and proof strikes as well as the clad proofs are all worth more than face value and are highly collectible.
The 1776-1976 Bicentennial Half Dollar has recently enjoyed something of a resurgence in popularity due to the Semiquincentennial, which celebrates the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. The 1776-1976 Kennedy Half Dollar, along with other Bicentennial coins, are on collectors’ radars as countless Americans seek the circulating 2026 Semiquincentennial coinage as well as the commemorative coins from the nation’s previous patriotic jubilee in 1976. Surely, the 1776-1976 Bicentennial Half Dollar will remain a hot collectible for many years to come.