The quarter featured a drummer boy on the reverse of the 1776–1976 U.S. Bicentennial coinage.
The United States Mint temporarily redesigned the reverses of the Washington quarter, Kennedy half dollar, and Eisenhower dollar for the bicentennial. All three denominations carried the dual date 1776–1976, although coins struck in 1975 and 1976 used that combined date.
The quarter’s reverse showed a colonial drummer facing left, with a victory torch and thirteen stars. Jack L. Ahr designed the quarter reverse after winning a national competition. The half dollar and dollar received different designs by other artists.
These were circulating commemorative coins rather than ordinary collector-only pieces. Their widespread use made bicentennial imagery familiar to millions of Americans. The coin program connected everyday currency with the same 200-year milestone that America250 revisits at 250 years.