50 State quarters
United States | |
Value | 0.25 US Dollar |
---|---|
Mass | 6.25 (Ag); 5.67 (Cu-Ni) g |
Diameter | 24.26 mm (0.955 in) |
Thickness | 1.75 mm (0.069 in) |
Edge | 119 reeds |
Composition | 91.67% Cu 8.33% Ni (standard) 90% Ag 10% Cu (proof only) |
Years of minting | 1999–2008 |
Mint marks | P, D, S (proof only) |
Obverse | |
Design | George Washington |
Designer | John Flanagan (1932 version) from a 1786 bust by Houdon / William Cousins (modification to Flanagan's design) |
Design date | 1999 |
Reverse | |
Design | various; five designs per year (latest shown) |
Designer | various |
Design date | 2008 |
The 50 State quarters (authorized by
The 50 State Quarters Program was started to support a new generation of
In 2009, the US Mint began issuing quarters under the 2009
Origins
The 50 State Quarters program was initially inspired by a 1992 Royal Canadian Mint program, "Canada 125", marking the 125th anniversary of the country's Confederation with a series of commemorative 25-cent pieces representing each of its 12 (at the time) provinces and territories. The Canada 125 program sparked a revival of interest in coin collecting among Canadians, which led American numismatists to advocate for the United States Mint to create a similar series of coins representing U.S. states.[6][7]
In 1992, Congress passed the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games Commemorative Coin Act. In addition to authorizing a series of commemorative coins marking the
Despite the support of the director of the mint and the Treasury Secretary-appointed CCCAC, the Treasury Department opposed the 50 States Quarters Program, as commemorative coinage had come to be identified with abuses and excesses.
Diehl worked with Castle behind the scenes to move legislation forward despite the Treasury's opposition to the program.[1][11] However, the Treasury suggested to Castle that the department should conduct a study to determine the feasibility of the program. With Diehl's advice, Castle accepted the Treasury's offer, and the agreement was codified in the United States Commemorative Coin Act of 1996.[12][13] The act also authorized the Secretary to proceed with the 50 States Quarters Program without further congressional action if the results of the feasibility study were favorable.
The Treasury Department engaged the consulting firm
In 1997, Congress issued that mandate in the form of S. 1228, the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act, which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on December 1, 1997.
50 State Quarters Program
The 50 State quarters were released by the
The authorizing legislation and Mint procedures gave each state a substantial role and considerable discretion in determining the design that would represent their state. The majority of states followed a process by which the governor solicited the state's citizens to submit design concepts and appointed an advisory group to oversee the process. Governors submitted three to five finalist design concepts to the Secretary of the Treasury for approval. Approved designs were returned to the states for selection of a final design.
States usually employed one of two approaches in making this selection. In 33 states, the governor selected the final recommended design, often based on the recommendations of advisory groups and citizens. In the other 17 states, citizens selected the final design through online, telephone, mail, or other public votes. US Mint engravers applied all final design concepts approved by the Treasury Secretary. The media and public attention surrounding this process and the release of each state's quarter was intense and produced significant publicity for the program.[4][14]
The 50 State Quarters Program was the most popular commemorative coin program in United States history; the United States Mint has estimated that 147 million Americans have collected state quarters and 3.5 million participated in the selection of state quarter designs.[4]
By the end of 2008, all of the original 50 States quarters had been minted and released. The official total, according to the US Mint, was 34,797,600,000 coins. The average mintage was 695,952,000 coins per state, but ranged from Virginia's 1,594,616,000 to Oklahoma's 416,600,000. Demand was stronger for quarters issued early in the program. This was due to
Designs
Year | No. | State | Release date (statehood date)[15] |
Mintage[16] | Design | Elements depicted | Engraver |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | 1 | Delaware | January 4, 1999 (December 7, 1787) |
774,824,000 | Caesar Rodney on horseback Captions: "The First State", "Caesar Rodney" |
William Cousins | |
2 | Pennsylvania | March 8, 1999 (December 12, 1787) |
707,332,000 | Commonwealth statue, state outline, keystone Caption: "Virtue, Liberty, Independence" |
John Mercanti | ||
3 | New Jersey | May 17, 1999 (December 18, 1787) |
662,228,000 | Washington Crossing the Delaware, which includes George Washington (standing) and James Monroe (holding the flag)Caption: "Crossroads of the Revolution" |
Alfred Maletsky | ||
4 | Georgia | July 19, 1999 (January 2, 1788) |
939,932,000 | Peach, live oak (state tree) sprigs, state outline Banner with text: "Wisdom, Justice, Moderation" (the state motto) |
T. James Ferrell | ||
5 | Connecticut | October 12, 1999 (January 9, 1788) |
1,346,624,000 | Charter Oak Caption: "The Charter Oak" |
T. James Ferrell | ||
2000 | 6 | Massachusetts | January 3, 2000 (February 6, 1788) |
1,163,784,000 | The Minute Man statue, state outline Caption: "The Bay State" |
Thomas D. Rodgers | |
7 | Maryland | March 13, 2000 (April 28, 1788) |
1,234,732,000 | Dome of the Maryland State House, white oak (state tree) clusters Caption: "The Old Line State" |
Thomas D. Rodgers | ||
8 | South Carolina | May 22, 2000 (May 23, 1788) |
1,308,784,000 | Carolina wren (state bird), yellow jessamine (state flower), cabbage palmetto (state tree), state outline Caption: "The Palmetto State" |
Thomas D. Rodgers | ||
9 | New Hampshire | August 7, 2000 (June 21, 1788) |
1,169,016,000 | Old Man of the Mountain, nine stars (representing New Hampshire as the 9th state to join the Union) Captions: "Old Man of the Mountain", "Live Free or Die" |
William Cousins | ||
10 | Virginia | October 16, 2000 (June 25, 1788) |
1,594,616,000 | Ships Susan Constant, Godspeed, Discovery Captions: "Jamestown, 1607–2007", "Quadricentennial" |
Edgar Z. Steever | ||
2001 | 11 | New York | January 2, 2001 (July 26, 1788) |
1,275,040,000 | Statue of Liberty, 11 stars (representing New York as the 11th state to join the Union), state outline with line tracing Hudson River and Erie Canal Caption: "Gateway to Freedom" |
Alfred Maletsky | |
12 | North Carolina | March 12, 2001 (November 21, 1789) |
1,055,476,000 | Wright Flyer, John T. Daniels's iconic photo of the Wright brothers Caption: "First Flight" |
John Mercanti | ||
13 | Rhode Island | May 21, 2001 (May 29, 1790) |
870,100,000 | America's Cup yacht Reliance on Narragansett Bay, Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge Caption: "The Ocean State" |
Thomas D. Rodgers | ||
14 | Vermont | August 6, 2001 (March 4, 1791) |
882,804,000 | Camel's Hump MountainCaption: "Freedom and Unity" |
T. James Ferrell | ||
15 | Kentucky | October 15, 2001 (June 1, 1792) |
723,564,000 | Federal Hill "
Caption: "My Old Kentucky Home |
T. James Ferrell | ||
2002 | 16 | Tennessee | January 2, 2002 (June 1, 1796) |
648,068,000 | Fiddle, trumpet, guitar, musical score, three stars Banner with text: "Musical Heritage" |
Donna Weaver | |
17 | Ohio | March 11, 2002 (March 1, 1803) |
632,032,000 | ; state outline Caption: "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers" |
Donna Weaver | ||
18 | Louisiana | May 20, 2002 (April 30, 1812) |
764,204,000 | Brown pelican (state bird); trumpet with musical notes, outline of Louisiana Purchase on map of US Caption: "Louisiana Purchase" |
John Mercanti | ||
19 | Indiana | August 2, 2002 (December 11, 1816) |
689,800,000 | IndyCar , state outline, 19 stars (representing Indiana as the 19th state to join the Union) Caption: "Crossroads of America" |
Donna Weaver | ||
20 | Mississippi | October 15, 2002 (December 10, 1817) |
579,600,000 | Two magnolia blossoms (state flower) Caption: "The Magnolia State" |
Donna Weaver | ||
2003 | 21 | Illinois | January 2, 2003 (December 3, 1818) |
463,200,000 | Young Abraham Lincoln; farm scene; Chicago skyline; state outline; 21 stars, 11 on left edge and 10 on right Captions: "Land of Lincoln;" "21st state/century" |
Donna Weaver | |
22 | Alabama | March 17, 2003 (December 14, 1819) |
457,400,000 | Helen Keller, seated, longleaf pine (state tree) branch, magnolia blossoms Banner with text: "Spirit of Courage" Caption: "Helen Keller" in standard print and Braille |
Norman E. Nemeth | ||
23 | Maine | June 2, 2003 (March 15, 1820) |
448,800,000 | Pemaquid Point Lighthouse; the schooner Victory Chimes[17] at sea | Donna Weaver | ||
24 | Missouri | August 4, 2003 (August 10, 1821) |
453,200,000 | 1804–2004" | Alfred Maletsky | ||
25 | Arkansas | October 20, 2003 (June 15, 1836) |
457,800,000 | Diamond (state gem), rice stalks, mallard flying above a lake | John Mercanti | ||
2004 | 26 | Michigan | January 26, 2004 (January 26, 1837) |
459,600,000 | State outline, outline of Great Lakes system Caption: "Great Lakes State" |
Donna Weaver | |
27 | Florida | March 29, 2004 (March 3, 1845) |
481,800,000 | Spanish galleon, Sabal palmetto (state tree), Space Shuttle Caption: "Gateway to Discovery" |
T. James Ferrell | ||
28 | Texas | June 1, 2004 (December 29, 1845) |
541,800,000 | State outline, star, lariat Caption: "The Lone Star State" |
Norman E. Nemeth | ||
29 | Iowa | August 30, 2004 (December 28, 1846) |
465,200,000 | Schoolhouse, teacher and students planting a tree; based on the Grant Wood painting Arbor Day[19][20] Captions: "Foundation in Education", "Grant Wood" |
John Mercanti | ||
30 | Wisconsin | October 25, 2004 (May 29, 1848) |
453,200,000 | Head of a corn (state grain).Banner with text: "Forward" |
Alfred Maletsky | ||
2005 | 31 | California | January 31, 2005 (September 9, 1850) |
520,400,000 | John Muir, California condor, Half Dome Captions: "John Muir," "Yosemite Valley" |
Don Everhart | |
32 | Minnesota | April 4, 2005 (May 11, 1858) |
488,000,000 | Common loon (state bird), fishing , state outlineCaption: "Land of 10,000 Lakes" |
Charles L. Vickers | ||
33 | Oregon | June 6, 2005 (February 14, 1859) |
720,200,000 | Crater Lake National Park Caption: "Crater Lake" |
Donna Weaver | ||
34 | Kansas | August 29, 2005 (January 29, 1861) |
563,400,000 | sunflowers (state flower)
|
Norman E. Nemeth | ||
35 | West Virginia | October 14, 2005 (June 20, 1863) |
721,600,000 | New River Gorge Bridge Caption: "New River Gorge" |
John Mercanti | ||
2006 | 36 | Nevada | January 31, 2006 (October 31, 1864) |
589,800,000 | Mustangs, mountains, rising sun, sagebrush (state flower) Banner with text: "The Silver State" |
Don Everhart | |
37 | Nebraska | April 3, 2006 (March 1, 1867) |
594,400,000 | Chimney Rock National Historic Site, Conestoga wagon Caption: "Chimney Rock" |
Charles L. Vickers | ||
38 | Colorado | June 14, 2006 (August 1, 1876) |
569,000,000 | Longs Peak Banner with text: "Colorful Colorado" |
Norman E. Nemeth | ||
39 | North Dakota | August 28, 2006 (November 2, 1889) |
664,800,000 | American bison, badlands | Donna Weaver | ||
40 | South Dakota | November 6, 2006 (November 2, 1889) |
510,800,000 | Mount Rushmore, ring-necked pheasant (state bird), wheat (state grass) | John Mercanti | ||
2007 | 41 | Montana | January 29, 2007 (November 8, 1889) |
513,240,000 | American bison skull in the center with mountains and the Missouri River in the background. Caption: "Big Sky Country" |
Don Everhart | |
42 | Washington | April 2, 2007 (November 11, 1889) |
545,200,000 | Salmon leaping in front of Mount Rainier Caption: "The Evergreen State" |
Charles L. Vickers | ||
43 | Idaho | June 4, 2007[21] (July 3, 1890) |
581,400,000 | Peregrine falcon, state outline with star indicating location of state capital Boise, Idaho Caption: "Esto Perpetua" |
Don Everhart | ||
44 | Wyoming | September 4, 2007 (July 10, 1890) |
564,400,000 | Bucking Horse and Rider Caption: "The Equality State" |
Norman E. Nemeth | ||
45 | Utah | November 5, 2007 (January 4, 1896) |
508,200,000 | Transcontinental Railroad Caption: "Crossroads of the West" |
Joseph F. Menna | ||
2008 | 46 | Oklahoma | January 28, 2008 (November 16, 1907) |
416,600,000 | Scissor-tailed flycatcher (state bird), with Indian blankets (state wildflower) in background | Phebe Hemphill | |
47 | New Mexico | April 7, 2008 (January 6, 1912) |
488,600,000 | State outline with relief, Zia sun symbol from flag Caption: "Land of Enchantment" |
Don Everhart | ||
48 | Arizona | June 2, 2008 (February 14, 1912) |
509,600,000 | Grand Canyon, saguaro cactus closeup. Banner with text: "Grand Canyon State" |
Joseph F. Menna | ||
49 | Alaska | August 25, 2008 (January 3, 1959) |
505,800,000 | North Star Caption: "The Great Land" |
Charles L. Vickers | ||
50 | Hawaii | November 3, 2008 (August 21, 1959) |
517,600,000 | " | Don Everhart |
District of Columbia and United States Territories release
Additional notes on individual designs
- Alabama: The Alabama state quarter is the first coin circulated in the US that features Braille writing.[22]
- Arizona: The banner reading "Grand Canyon State" in the design is intended to split the quarter into two sections and indicate the Grand Canyon and the Saguaro Cactus are in two different Arizona scenes, as the saguaro cactus is not native to the area near the Grand Canyon.[23]
- Connecticut: The Charter Oak on the back of the Connecticut quarter fell during a storm on August 21, 1856. It also appears on a 1936 half dollar commemorating the 300th anniversary of the state's settlement by Europeans.[24]
- Georgia: The outline of the state of Georgia on the quarter appears to have accidentally left out Dade County, which is in the extreme northwestern part of the state. In 1860, Dade residents voted to secede from the United States and from the state of Georgia. The county's secession was never legally recognized, and Dade residents chose to "rejoin" the United States in 1945.[25]
- Hawaii: The Hawaii quarter features a rendition of business strikeUS coin to feature royalty or a monarch of any kind.
- Illinois: The Illinois quarter is the only quarter to directly reference and portray an urban city, with a picture of the St. Louis with its portrayal of the iconic Gateway Arch).
- Indiana: The Indiana quarter—having a problem similar to Georgia's quarter—is missing part of its northwestern corner. Lake County is either partially or completely missing (where it borders with Lake Michigan). The error did not garner considerable notice.
- Iowa: When Iowans were debating the design for its state quarter in 2002, there was a grassroots effort to use a design featuring the Sullivan brothers (to honor the five Waterloo siblings who died when the ship they were aboard—the USS Juneau (CL-52)—sank during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 1942). The effort was ultimately unsuccessful, and a Grant Wood design was used, but not before some copyright issues were resolved.[26][27]
- Maryland: The Maryland Statehouse featured on the coin is the country's largest wooden dome built without nails.[28] Some residents complained that the quarter did not feature the state's famous blue crab.
- Mississippi: The magnolia blossom design, while recognizable at the high levels of magnification at which it was presented for review, appears at production scale as an amorphous mass recognizable only when the accompanying state nickname inscription suggests the image's intended content to the viewer.
- Missouri: The design contest winner for the Missouri quarter, Paul Jackson, has claimed that the Mint engraver needlessly redesigned Jackson's original submission. The Mint stated that Jackson's design was not coinable, but a private mint later demonstrated that it was. It emerged that Mint engravers may exercise discretion in the final design of US coinage, and the term "design contest" was dropped from solicitations for ideas for later state quarters.[29][30]
- Nebraska: One of the final concepts for the Nebraska quarter was based on the Ponca leader Standing Bear, who, in a suit brought against the federal government, successfully argued that Native Americans were citizens entitled to rights under the US Constitution.
- New Hampshire: The Old Man of the Mountain, featured on the back of the New Hampshire quarter, collapsed in 2003, less than three years after the quarter's release.
- New Jersey. The first coin in history to ever depict George Washington on both sides.[31]
- Ohio: Astronauts Wright Brothers.
- Oregon: Oregon's design features a scene of State Treasurer Randall Edwards, Columbia Sportswear Chairperson Gert Boyle, numismatist Monte Mensing, and Beaverton High School student Laura Davis, along with state legislators Charles Starr, Joan Dukes, Betsy Johnson, and Betsy Close, among others. The Quarter Commission chose the Crater Lake design from three other finalists: a jumping salmon, the Oregon Trail, and Mount Hood.
- Rhode Island: With a mast height of 199 ft (61m) the yacht Reliance could not have sailed under the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge, which has a clearance below of 188 ft (57m), although the coin does not show the ship sailing under the bridge. This would also not have happened because Reliance was sold for scrap in 1913 and the Pell Bridge opened in 1969.
- South Dakota: Although South Dakota has the second highest proportion of Native Americans of any state, the South Dakota quarter features three items that are the result of European settlement. These symbols are Mount Rushmore, which honors four U.S. presidents and is carved into the Black Hills which are seen as sacred by the Lakota, a ring-necked pheasant (an introduced species of Asian origin), and wheat, a Eurasian crop which has replaced much of the state's native grasslands.
- Tennessee: There has also been some controversy over the Tennessee quarter. Some sources[32] claim that the details on the instruments depicted on the quarter are inaccurate, such as the number of strings on the guitar and the location of the tubing on the trumpet. The number of strings on the guitar-like instrument would be accurate if the instrument was a Mexican vihuela that influenced the country-and-western music prominent in Nashville culture and business. The instrument, however, has six tuning pegs, so is, in fact, a guitar and not a vihuela.
- West Virginia: During the submission process for the design of the West Virginia quarter, there was an apparent movement to put the famous Mothman on the final design.[33]
- Wisconsin: