1976 Eisenhower Dollar (Bicentennial, Type I)
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 4,019,000 made
- Mintage
- 4,019,000
- Metal
- Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel
- Weight
- 22.68 g
- Diameter
- 38.1 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1976 Eisenhower Dollar (Bicentennial, Type I) worth?
In circulated condition it's worth face value. Only uncirculated coins with full original luster, or a recognized variety, carry a premium.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1976 Eisenhower Dollar (Bicentennial, Type I) rare?
- Not in absolute terms: 4 million were made. It is one of the smaller runs in the series, though, so uncirculated examples are worth a little more than most dates.
- Is the 1976 Eisenhower Dollar (Bicentennial, Type I) silver?
- No. It's copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel. Circulating silver dollars ended with the 1935 Peace dollar. Some Eisenhower dollars with an S mint mark were made in 40% silver for collectors, but circulation Ike dollars are copper-nickel clad.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1976 Eisenhower Dollar?
- On the obverse, below Eisenhower's portrait and above the date. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1976 are scarcer?
- The 1973 at 2,000,056. So the 1976 is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1976 Eisenhower Dollar (Bicentennial, Type I) coins were made?
- 4,019,000.
What to check on your 1976
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1976-S Eisenhower Dollar Proof (Bicentennial, Type I, clad) (2,845,450 made) is the one to compare with.
- A face that's fully copper colored could be a missing clad layer error. Patchy discoloration is usually damage.
- Judge the grade under good light. Look at Eisenhower's cheek and the hair above his ear and at the eagle's head and breast. These heavy coins picked up bag marks easily, so clean, mark-free surfaces matter as much as wear.
With 4 million made, the 1976 still turns up in everyday change. Keep yours only if it looks uncirculated or shows a variety; otherwise it's worth face value.
The story of the 1976
Philadelphia hadn't struck the Eisenhower Dollar since 1974. When it came back in 1976, it made 4,019,000. The next year it made 113 million (1976).
The other mints made far more that year: 1976 alone came to 113 million, roughly 28 for every 1976. That makes the 1976 the scarcer 1976 coin, though still a common one.
Only the 1973 has a lower mintage among Philadelphia's 8 Eisenhower Dollars. Within the 1970s it's 3rd smallest of 16, between the 1973 (2 million) and the 1977 (13 million).
The Bicentennial Liberty Bell (1975 to 1976)
No dollars are dated 1975. Coins struck in 1975 and 1976 carry the dual date 1776-1976 and a new reverse by Dennis Williams, a college student who won the design competition: the Liberty Bell superimposed on the Moon.
Early Bicentennial dollars have thick, blocky lettering on the reverse (Type I); the lettering was redesigned to be thinner and sharper (Type II) to improve the strike. San Francisco also struck 40% silver Bicentennial dollars for three-coin collector sets.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1976
Bicentennial designs appeared on the quarter (a colonial drummer), the half dollar (Independence Hall) and the dollar (the Liberty Bell and the Moon).
How to recognize it
Frank Gasparro's obverse shows Dwight D. Eisenhower facing left with LIBERTY above, IN GOD WE TRUST below his chin and the date at the bottom. The reverse is adapted from the Apollo 11 mission insignia: an eagle landing on the Moon with an olive branch in its talons, with the Earth above. Coins dated 1776-1976 replace it with Dennis Williams' Liberty Bell superimposed on the Moon. The mint mark is below the portrait, above the date.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Eisenhower Dollar (1971–1978) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1976 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 4,019,000 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel |
| Weight | 22.68 grams |
| Diameter | 38.1 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | Frank Gasparro |
Other 1976 Eisenhower Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 Eisenhower Dollar (Bicentennial, Type I) | 4,019,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1976 Eisenhower Dollar (Bicentennial, Type II) | 113,318,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1976-D Eisenhower Dollar (Bicentennial, Type I) | 21,048,710 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1976-D Eisenhower Dollar (Bicentennial, Type II) | 82,179,564 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1976-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar Uncirculated (Bicentennial, 40% silver) | 4,908,319 | Collector uncirculated | 0.3162 oz |
| 1976-S Eisenhower Dollar Proof (Bicentennial, Type I, clad) | 2,845,450 | Proof | – |
| 1976-S Eisenhower Dollar Proof (Bicentennial, Type II, clad) | 4,149,730 | Proof | – |
| 1976-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar Proof (Bicentennial, 40% silver) | 3,998,621 | Proof | 0.3162 oz |
Mintage: Eisenhower dollar (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.