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What a resounding success! The State Quarters 1999-2008 program has welcomed
huge numbers of new people to the coin collecting hobby. According to the
U.S.
Mint, State Quarters are currently collected by about 130 million people - which
translates to about one person in every home in America. No other collectible
commodity in history has ever achieved such soaring popularity.
The 50 State Quarters program was a 10-year initiative launched in January 1999,
that ran through the end of 2008. The program honors each state with a specialized design on the reverse of its State Quarter. The obverse of all U.S. State Quarters displays a refined image of George Washington. A newly designed quarter reverse
was released five times a year throughout the 10-year program. States were honored in the order in which they were admitted to the Union, beginning with
Delaware, our first state.
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HERE to go to the Roll Call of the States |
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United States Mint image.
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Legislation in late 2007 was passed to similarly honor in 2009 the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories: the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands .
The 2009 quarters will continue to feature the image of President George Washington on the obverse. The reverse will commemorate the history, geography or traditions of the District of Columbia and
the territories in a manner of the State Quarters.
In 2010, a new quarter program launches. The Mint will issue coins
featuring national parks and other national sites. Approximately every 10 weeks,
a new design emblematic of a national site is to be depicted on the reverse of
the quarter. The sites chosen for depiction will come from each of 50 states,
plus the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. In all, 56 reverses are
to be featured. As with the State Quarters, the familiar image of George
Washington remains on the front.
Taxpayers will be delighted to know that the 50 State Quarters program is much more than just self-supporting. Thanks to the sale of
State Quarter Proof Sets, and something known as
seigniorage
[defined as the profit taken by the government from the minting of coins,
usually the difference between the cost of coin production (metal, labor, etc.)
and the face value of the coin]. Perhaps as much as $3 billion in seigniorage profits flowed
into the Treasury annually that otherwise would not have occurred because of the
State Quarters.
State Quarters remained popular with collectors right up to the very end.
This was evident as the US economy slowed in 2008. Mint production of the cent, nickel,
and dime fell 25.6 percent, 49.8 percent, and 52.4 percent respectively, from FY
2007. Continued demand for new State Quarters helped augment shipments of
quarter-dollar coins, which
fell by only 7.4 percent over the same time period.
One stated goal of the State Quarters program was to bring history to the American people. So far, we've done fairly well. Many of the State Quarter designs whisk us back in time to some memorable event, such as the 1999
New Jersey quarter showing
George Washington and his men crossing the icy Delaware River on December 26, 1776. Other State Quarters teach culture, geography and the unique heritage of the state. For example, the 2002
Tennessee quarter boasts a guitar, reflecting the state's musical legacy. Without a doubt, the
Roll Call of the 50 State Quarters has brought to life the history and beauty of our country.
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