Statehood Quarters Collection
The Statehood Quarter Designs
In 1999, coin collecting changed forever. Under the Statehood quarters program, five new designs were issued per year for a total of ten years. Originally each state submitted artwork suggestions to the mint, with most final designs chosen by a vote of that state's residents. Beginning in 2005, individual states simply provided the mint with a written statement of desired concepts.
The goal of the program – and of each Statehood quarter design – was to spread awareness through the country about the heritage and diversity of America's 50 states. Starting with Delaware, each of the 50 states was honored in the order it joined the Union (or in the case of the 13 original colonies, in the order they ratified the Constitution). Coins were released at a rate of five per year until all 50 had been released. Each issue was unique and captured the essence of its state – from flora and fauna to historical figures and scenery.
The quarter obverse was modified in 1999 as part of the Statehood quarters program.
For all the changes to the quarter, one thing remained the same – the portrait of America's first president, George Washington, still graced the coin's obverse. Though slight modifications were made in the design of his hair, the only major changes to the obverse were the addition of the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and QUARTER DOLLAR. LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST remained on the obverse, although in new locations.
Since the release of the first Statehood quarter, rotating designs have appeared in other denominations – and two additional quarter series followed the wildly popular Statehood issues. These quarters truly changed the face of America's coinage!
Reverse Designs
1999
- Delaware
- In 1776, Caesar Rodney rode 80 miles to cast the tie-breaking vote at the Continental Congress.
- Pennsylvania
- The Commonwealth statue, with ribbon-adorned staff, symbolizes mercy and justice.
- New Jersey
- George Washington crossed the Delaware on Christmas night, 1776.
- Georgia
- The Georgia peach is flanked by oak sprigs before an outline of the state.
- Connecticut
- The Charter Oak hid the state's charter from British troops sent to seize it.
2000
- Massachusetts
- The Minutemen defeated British troops at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
- Maryland
- Depicts the leaves of the White Oak and features the nation's oldest state house.
- South Carolina
- The palmetto tree, the jessamine flower, and the Carolina wren are all state symbols.
- New Hampshire
- The "Old Man of the Mountain" stood 1200 feet above Profile Lake in Franconia Notch.
- Virginia
- Honors the 400th anniversary of the English settlement of Jamestown in 1607.
2001
- New York
- Depicts the Statue of Liberty and the phrase, GATEWAY TO FREEDOM.
- North Carolina
- The Wright Brothers' "First Flight" took place in Kitty Hawk.
- Rhode Island
- A vintage sailboat glides through Narragansett Bay with the Pell Bridge in the background.
- Vermont
- Camel's Hump Mountain is the backdrop for the traditional gathering of sap from maple trees.
- Kentucky
- Federal Hill is the stately mansion where Stephen Foster wrote "My Old Kentucky Home".
2002
- Tennessee
- A trumpet, guitar, and fiddle each celebrate a different piece of musical heritage.
- Ohio
- Both the Wright Brothers and John Glenn, the first American in space, hail from Ohio..
- Louisiana
- Honors the brown pelican, jazz music, and the Louisiana Purchase.
- Indiana
- The Indianapolis 500, a famous sporting event , is called the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing".
- Mississippi
- The state flower, the magnolia, was chosen by school children in 1900.
2003
- Illinois
- Abraham Lincoln served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Illinois.
- Alabama
- Helen Keller, who was born in Tuscumbia, sits and reads; this is the first U.S. coin to feature Braille.
- Maine
- The Pemaquid Point Light is one of the state's renowned lighthouses.
- Missouri
- Three adventurers paddle a boat in honor of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
- Arkansas
- Rice stalks, a mallard duck, and a cut diamond evoke the state's natural resources.
2004
- Michigan
- Depicts an outline of the state and the surrounding Great Lakes.
- Florida
- A Spanish galleon recalls the state's beginnings and a shuttle represents the space program.
- Texas
- A lone star encircled by a rope design represents the state's motto.
- Iowa
- The painting Arbor Day by Iowan Grant Wood shows classmates planting a tree.
- Wisconsin
- A Holstein cow, wheel of cheese, and ear of corn emphasize the state's resources.
2005
- California
- Naturalist John Muir and a California condor are seen in Yosemite National Park.
- Minnesota
- A lake, fishermen, and a loon reflect the natural beauty of 55 state forests and 66 parks.
- Oregon
- Crater Lake is America's deepest lake and is located in the nation's 5th oldest national forest.
- Kansas
- A wild bison stands near a patch of native wild sunflowers.
- West Virginia
- The New River is one of the continent's oldest waterways.
2006
- Nevada
- Three wild horses gallop into the foreground with sagebrush, the state's flower.
- Nebraska
- Chimney Rock rises majestically behind a pioneer family with their covered wagon.
- Colorado
- Depicts a sweeping mountainous terrain along with the state nickname.
- North Dakota
- Bison graze in front of the state's famed Badlands area.
- South Dakota
- Mount Rushmore is flanked by ears of wheat and the ring-necked pheasant.
2007
- Montana
- A bison skull hovers above a view of the diverse landscape.
- Washington
- Mount Rainier overlooks a breaching salmon.
- Idaho
- A peregrine falcon looks over an outline of Idaho.
- Wyoming
- A determined cowboy rides a bucking bronco, along with the state's nickname.
- Utah
- The "golden spike" ceremony joined East and West at Promontory, Utah in 1869.
2008
- Oklahoma
- Depicts the scissor-tailed flycatcher and Indian blanket flower.
- New Mexico
- The state nickname and Zia sun symbol adorn a topographical outline of the state.
- Arizona
- Depicts a Saguaro cactus and the Grand Canyon.
- Alaska
- Depicts a grizzly bear with a freshly-caught salmon to symbolize Alaska's beauty and abundance of wildlife.
- Hawaii
- King Kamehameha unified Hawaii, and the motto reads "life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness".
