The 1975 Quarter

In perusing the archives of mental_floss magazine online today, I found this interesting Fact of the Day from 2003. I thought you might be interested too. There is a permanent link to mental_floss in my sidebar. I really enjoy that magazine!

What are the odds that you'll find a 1975 quarter in your pocket change? About zero.
There never were any, since production of the special Bicentennial quarter began that year. No regular quarters were issued during the two year span from 1975-76. The same goes for the half-dollar and dollar coins, too.

Many collectors believe that the 1776-1976 Washington quarter was the first commemorative 25-cent piece, but it wasn't. Actually, the very first Washington quarter, issued in 1932, was meant to be a one-off commemorative coin to celebrate the 200th birthday of America's first president. The design proved to be so popular with the public, however, that it became the regular issue, forever replacing the existing image (known as the "Standing Liberty").

The reverse of the Bicentennial quarter, depicting the Revolutionary drummer boy, was designed by Chicago artist Jack Ahr, whose drawing was selected as a result of a competition. Other winning artists for the series were Seth Huntington, whose portrait of Independence Hall was used on the half dollar, and art student Dennis Williams, who superimposed the Liberty Bell on the Moon and earned a spot on the dollar coin. All the winning artists received a $5000 prize for their efforts, and numismatists nationwide found three more reasons to dig deeper in their pockets.