1976 $2 Federal Reserve Note 1st Day of Issue, with July 4th Stamp Grades Gem CU. On April 13, 1976, to celebrate the bicentennial of American independence, new $2 Federal Reserve Notes were issued with backs featuring the well-known painting Signing of the Declaration of Independence. These Notes have a 13c Stamp or 2 stamps totaling 13c hand canceled on July 4, 1976, the day of the bicentennial.