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Release date of Alabama State Quarter: March
17, 2003.
The Alabama quarter is the second quarter of
2003, and the 22nd in the 50 State Quarters® Program. Alabama became
the 22nd state to be admitted into the Union on December 14, 1819.
The Alabama quarter design features an image of Helen Keller with her
name in English, and in a reduced-size version of braille. The Alabama
quarter is the first U.S. circulating coin to feature braille. An
Alabama long leaf pine branch and magnolias grace the sides of the
design, and a "Spirit of Courage" banner underlines the central image.
Helen Keller was born at "Ivy Green" in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1880.
When she was a small child, an illness destroyed her sight and hearing
and, consequently, depriving her of the senses by which we normally
learn to speak. Despite her disabilities, Helen Keller learned to speak
and read using the raised and manual alphabets, as well as Braille.
Miss Keller also graduated with honors, receiving her Bachelor of Arts
degree from Radcliffe. She went on to publish numerous books, articles
and essays.
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| The Alabama quarter depicts
an image of Helen Keller with her name in English, and in a
reduced-size version of Braille. An Alabama long leaf pine branch and
magnolias grace the sides of the design, and a "Spirit of Courage"
banner underlines the central image. United States Mint image.
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Helen Keller lived out her life addressing
social issues for disabled
persons and women. Every year at "Ivy Green," a weeklong celebration is
held to commemorate her lifetime of accomplishments and her "Spirit of
Courage."
In January 2001, Governor Don Siegelman announced a statewide
competition for Alabama schools to submit concepts for the Alabama
quarter. Of the thousands of concepts submitted, Governor Siegelman
forwarded three to the United States Mint: Helen Keller, Alabama's role
in social movements, and Alabama's social and economic history. The
United States Mint returned five candidate designs to the Governor's
office where the final selection of Helen Keller, "Spirit of Courage,"
was made.
Purchase an Alabama
State Quarter
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