The 7.50-dollar denomination period, 1979-1986, saw eight issues. This period included the 50th anniversary of the Federal Duck Stamp and the creation of Duck Stamp Week by President Ronald Reagan. The most remarkable aspect of this period occurred with the 1980 contest. The 1979 contest had drawn 373 entrants. The 1980 contest, with a new advertising strategy to increase interest and entries, drew 1,362 designs! Entries for each subsequent year during this period exceeded 1,000, including the all-time high in 1982 of 2,099 entries. During this period, collectors, hunters, and conservationists purchased 15,325,621 Federal Duck Stamps, raising $114,942,158.
