Big Mac Turns 50 And McDonald’s Is Celebrating!

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McDonald’s is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its iconic Big Mac sandwich by releasing its own currency.

At 14,000 participating McDonald’s locations, including locations around Baltimore, MacCoins will be handed out with the purchase of a Big Mac. One MacCoin is good for one free Big Mac.

MacCoins can be redeemed for a free Big Mac starting Friday, [August 3], and running through the end of 2018, according to a McDonald’s news release. Charm City residents may want to take notice.

“The legendary taste of the Big Mac has achieved a lasting legacy for the sandwich around the globe,” said Mark Furr, who owns and operates a McDonald’s in Baltimore. “I’m thrilled we can celebrate the sandwich’s 50 years by offering a MacCoin to customers throughout the Baltimore area when they come into our restaurants to enjoy a sandwich.”

More than 6.2 million MacCoin’s are expected to handed out globally.

One side of every MacCoin features a design representing a decade between 1970-2010.

The date, August 2, was chosen to start the celebration in honor of the late Jim Delligatti, a Pennsylvania McDonald’s owner-operator who is credited with inventing the popular Big Mac.

“When my great-grandfather Jim Delligatti invented the Big Mac at his grill in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, he just wanted to make his local customers happy,” said Nick Delligatti, a fourth-generation McDonald’s owner-operator and great-grandson of Jim Delligatti,

the inventor of the Big Mac. “August 2 would have been his 100th birthday, and I believe he would be very proud knowing his humble sandwich has made such a lasting impression that people all around the world can enjoy it wherever they find a McDonald’s.”

The commemorative coins feature five unique designs, each representing a decade of the Big Mac.

Each MacCoin design pulls in elements from that time in history, nodding to art, music and pop culture, while the front-side of the MacCoin celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Big Mac.

The MacCoin highlights the ‘70s, showcasing the decade’s flower power; the ‘80s alluding to pop art; the ‘90s defined with bold, abstract shapes; the early ‘00s specifically focusing on the technology that was at the forefront of the turn of the century; and the ‘10s MacCoin calling attention to the evolution of communication.

Additionally, the seven languages featured across the various designs represent many of the countries participating: Arabic, English, Indonesian, Mandarin, Portuguese, French and Spanish.

In its 50 years, the legendary taste of the Big Mac has helped it achieve universal recognition and a lasting legacy.

No matter where they live in the world, Big Mac fans recognize the two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun as the iconic burger with a flavor combination.

The sandwich has become such a global icon that the business news website, The Economist, even used the price of the Big Mac to create the Big Mac Index, an economic tool that compares the purchasing power of different international currencies year after year.

This global connectivity of the Big Mac inspired the creation of the MacCoin, according to McDonald’s officials.

“Since it was introduced at a family-owned McDonald’s restaurant 50 years ago, the Big Mac has traversed the globe and is enjoyed in cities from Shanghai to Chicago, providing delicious, feel good moments to people all over the world,” said McDonald’s President and CEO Steve Easterbrook. “So we wanted a global celebration as unique as the burger itself. The MacCoin transcends currencies to commemorate our global iconic burger while giving customers all over the world a chance to enjoy a Big Mac on us.”