50 State quarters facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
50 State quarter

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 Pub.L. 105-124, 111 Stat. 2534, enacted December 1, 1997) was a series circulating commemorative quarters released by the United States Mint. Minted from 1999 through 2008, they featured unique designs for each of the 50 US states on the reverse.

The 50 State Quarters Program was started to support a new generation of coin collectors, and it became the most successful numismatic program in history, with roughly half of the US population collecting the coins, either in a casual manner or as a serious pursuit. The US federal government so far has made additional profits of $3.0 billion from collectors taking the coins out of circulation.

In 2009, the US Mint began issuing quarters under the 2009 District of Columbia and US Territories Program. The Territories Quarter Program was authorized by the passage of a newer legislative act, H.R. 2764. This program features the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Treasury opposition and congressional enactment

The program's origins lie with the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee (CCCAC), which was appointed by Secretary of Treasury Lloyd Bentsen in December 1993 and chaired by Mint Director Philip N. Diehl. From the first days of the CCCAC, one of its members, David Ganz, urged the committee to endorse the 50 States Quarters program, and in 1995, the CCCAC did so. The committee then sought the support of Representative Michael Castle (R-Delaware), chairman of the House Banking subcommittee with jurisdiction over the nation's coinage. Castle's initial caution was resolved when Diehl suggested the coins be issued in the order the states entered the Union or ratified the Constitution. Delaware, Castle's home state, was the first state to ratify the Constitution. Castle subsequently held hearings and filed legislation to authorize the program.

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. The mint's economic models estimated the program would earn the government between $2.6 billion and $5.1 billion in additional seignorage and $110 million in additional numismatic profits. Diehl and Castle used these profit projections to urge the Treasury's support, but Treasury officials found the projections to lack credibility (at the program's conclusion, the Mint estimated the program had earned $3.0 billion in additional seigniorage and $136.2 million in additional numismatic profits).

Diehl worked with Castle behind the scenes to move legislation forward despite the Treasury's opposition to the program. 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. 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 Coopers and Lybrand to conduct the study in 1997, which confirmed the Mint's demand, seigniorage and numismatic profit projections for the program. Among other conclusions, the study found that 98 million Americans were likely to save one or more full sets of the quarters (at the program's conclusion, the Mint estimated that 147 million Americans collected the 50 state quarters). Nevertheless, the Treasury Department continued to oppose the program and declined to proceed with it without a congressional mandate to do so.

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 United States Mint every ten weeks, or five each year. They were released in the same order that the states ratified the Constitution or were admitted to the Union. Each quarter's reverse commemorated one of the 50 states with a design emblematic of its unique history, traditions and symbols. Certain design elements, such as state flags, images of living persons, and head-and-shoulder images of deceased persons were prohibited.

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 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 secretary of treasury. 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.

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.

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 between 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 weakening economic conditions in later years and the waning of the initial surge of demand when the program was launched. Another factor was the reassertion of the Treasury Department's opposition to the program. When the director's term ended in 2000, the Treasury proceeded to reduce and finally terminate the most effective elements of the Mint's promotional program despite the high return on investment they earned.

Designs

Year	No.	State	Release date (statehood date)	Mintage	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 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, 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		Maple trees with sap buckets, Camel's Hump Mountain Caption: "Freedom and Unity"	T. James Ferrell
	15	Kentucky	October 15, 2001 (June 1, 1792)	723,564,000		Thoroughbred racehorse behind fence, Bardstown mansion, 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		Wright Flyer III (built by the Wright Brothers who were from Dayton); astronaut (Neil Armstrong, a native of Wapakoneta); 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 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 at sea	Donna Weaver
	24	Missouri	August 4, 2003 (August 10, 1821)	453,200,000		Gateway Arch, Lewis and Clark and York returning down Missouri River Caption: "Corps of Discovery 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 Captions: "Foundation in Education", "Grant Wood"	John Mercanti
	30	Wisconsin	October 25, 2004 (May 29, 1848)	453,200,000		Head of a cow, round of cheese and ear of 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 outline Caption: "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		American bison (state mammal), 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 (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		Golden spike, Locomotives Jupiter, No. 119, and the completion of the 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		Grizzly bear with salmon (state fish) and North Star Caption: "The Great Land"	Charles L. Vickers
	50	Hawaii	November 3, 2008 (August 21, 1959)	517,600,000		Statue of Kamehameha I with state outline and motto Caption: "Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono"	Don Everhart

District of Columbia and United States Territories release

Year map

The following map shows the years each state, federal district, or territory was released as a state quarter.

Collectible value

In 1997, Congress passed the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act, which instructed the creation of the 50 State quarters series to "honor the unique Federal Republic of 50 States that comprise the United States; and to promote the diffusion of knowledge among the youth of the United States about the individual states, their history and geography, and the rich diversity of the national heritage...", and to encourage "young people and their families to collect memorable tokens of all of the States for the face value of the coins."

Coin with partially rubbed off "In God We Trust" motto

While mintage totals of the various designs vary widely—Virginia quarters are almost 20 times as abundant as the Northern Marianas quarters—none of the regular circulating issues are rare enough to become a valuable investment.

There was, however, a measure of collector interest over die errors in the Wisconsin quarter. Some designs from the Denver mint feature corn without a smaller leaf, others feature a small leaf pointing upwards, and still others have the leaf bending down. A set of all three quarters sold on eBay in February 2005 for $300 and initially saw significant increases, such as $1500 for individual coins, but as of February 2020 PCGS lists the value of MS-62 specimens from $92 to $130 each.

Another die cast error ran with the first Delaware quarters. Being the first model of state quarter made, the mint gave it a disproportionate weight causing vending machines to not accept it. The quarter die was quickly fixed. Some Delaware quarters appeared without the last E, now saying, "THE FIRST STAT".

A major error occurred in 2000 when the reverse die of a Sacagawea dollar was combined with the obverse die of a state quarter on dollar-coin planchets to form what is known as a "mule". As of August 2019, only 19 of these specimens, produced on dollar planchets, are known to have escaped from the Mint.

A 2005 Minnesota double die quarter, as well as a 2005 Minnesota quarter with extra trees (another die error), have both triggered numismatic interest. An unusual die break on some 2005 Kansas quarters created a humpback bison. Relatively more common are Kansas quarters bearing the motto "IN GOD WE RUST."

The United States produces proof coinage in circulating base metal and, since 1992, in separately sold sets with the dimes, quarters, and half-dollars in silver. For the silver issues, the 1999 set is the most valuable, being the first year of the series and with a relatively small mintage, although prices have significantly decreased since the 50 State Quarters Program ended. The set in base metal, of this or any other year, is worth only a fraction as much. The silver proof sets of later years, while having some intrinsic and collector worth, are also priced far lower. The public is cautioned to research prices before buying advertised state quarter year or proof sets.

In general, the program increased interest in quarter and general coin collecting. Large numbers of ads, quarter products and quarter information were available during the years the program ran. Home Shopping Network, Franklin Mint, and Littleton Coin Company were among the most prominent in ad space.

Seigniorage

Since the 50 State Quarters Program was expected to increase public demand for quarters which would be collected and taken out of circulation, the Mint used economic models to estimate the additional seigniorage the program would produce. These estimates established a range of $2.6 billion to $5.1 billion. (At the end of the program, the Mint estimated the actual increase in seigniorage to be $3 billion.) The Mint also estimated the program would earn $110 million in additional numismatic profits. (The final, post-program estimate was $136.2 million.) The Mint used these estimates to support the proposed program, and the legislation enacting the 50 States Quarters program cited these estimates.

Satire

• On July 25, 2001, The Onion ran a satirical news story titled "Collecting All 50 State Quarters Senior's Only Reason To Remain Alive". On May 4, 2005, it ran a further story titled "U.S. Mint Gears Up To Issue Commemorative County Pennies".
• The Late Night with Conan O'Brien television show aired several segments about fictional satirical designs for new state quarters.
• Sculptor Daniel Carr, whose designs were used for the New York and Rhode Island state quarters and whose concept was adapted for the Maine state quarter, has created a series of parody quarters making light of the state quarter concept.

See also

In Spanish: Cuartos de dólar de los 50 estados para niños