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McDonald's Giving Away 'MacCoins' In Honor Of Big Mac's 50th Anniversary

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Big Mac, which was created in Pittsburgh, McDonald's is giving away "MacCoins" that can be redeemed later for a free burger.

McDonald's customers who buy a Big Mac at one of 14,000 participating restaurants across the country will receive a MacCoin. Customers can later use that MacCoin to get a free Big Mac. MacCoins will be accepted starting Friday, and they can be used through the end of the year.

More than 6.2 million MacCoins will be given away in more than 50 countries while supplies last. There are five different MacCoin designs, each representing a different decade between the '70s and the 2010s.

Jim Delligatti, a Uniontown McDonald's franchisee, created the Big Mac in 1967. The burger went national in 1968. Delligatti died in Fox Chapel in 2016.

A commemorative neon sculpture will be unveiled at the Heinz History Center on Thursday afternoon to mark the Big Mac's anniversary. The sculpture, titled "What a Bright Idea," depicts a Big Mac inside a glowing lightbulb.

mcdonalds big mac neon
(Photo Credit: KDKA Photojournalist Chris Kunicki)

In addition to marking the Big Mac's 50th anniversary, the sculpture unveiling also coincides with what would have been Delligatti's 100th birthday.

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