State Quarters: FAQs

50 State Quarters HQ     How It All Got Started     10-Year Schedule     State Quarter Errors Pre-State Quarters Predictions     State Quarters Mintages     SQ Albums & Supplies Basics of the State Quarters Program 1.   What is the 50 State Quarters Program all about? 2.   How did the State Quarters Program get started? 3.   What are the objectives of the program? 4.   Who deserves the credit for getting the program started? 5.   How much is the State Quarters program costing the taxpayers? 6.   Where are the State Quarters minted? 7.   When will the quarter for my state be released? 8.   How is the State Quarter release schedule determined? 9.   Has there ever been a program similar to the State Quarters? 10. Will there be a quarter for the District of Columbia? 11. When is the familiar Eagle reverse returning?   State Quarters Reverse Designs 12.  How are the state designs chosen? 13.  What are the guidelines for developing state designs? 14.  What is the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee? 15.  What is the Commission of Fine Arts? 16.  Why did the design on the "Heads" side change too?   More State Quarters Questions 17.  How do the State Quarters enter circulation? 18.  Who decides how many State Quarters to produce? 19.  Are there any rare and valuable State Quarters? 20.  Do State Quarters "spend" just like regular quarters? 21.  How many people are collecting State Quarters? 22.  Has this program achieved its educational goals?     1.   What is the 50 State Quarters Program all about? The 50 State Quarters program recognizes the distinct character of the 50 individual states that together, comprise the United States of America.  Each state is honored by a design specific to the state appearing on the reverse side of Washington quarters.  The State Quarters are being minted from 1999 through 2008.  Five new designs were released into circulation every year during this 10-year period.  In 2009, the program will be extended to similarly honor 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.     2.   How did the State Quarters Program get started? Momentum for a circulating commemorative quarter program started to roll during 1995 Congressional hearings on commemorative coin abuses.  In 1996, Public Law 104-329 was passed which authorized a feasibility study on the State Quarters concept.  The results of the study indicated the program would be successful, if implemented under certain conditions.  Public Law 105-124, passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton on December 1, 1997, made the 50 State Quarters program a reality.   Back to Top   3.   What are the objectives of the program? The objectives of the program are indicated in the text of Public Law 105-324:  "Congress finds that it is appropriate and timely 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." Another important, but less proclaimed objective, is that the State Quarters program, unlike so many other federal initiatives, stood to return to the government billions of dollars through numismatic sales and a phenomenon known as seigniorage.   4.   Who deserves the credit for getting the program started? Mint Director Phil Diehl, wrote "from my vantage point, the lion's share of the credit for making the 50 States program a reality goes to David Ganz, for his persistence as an advocate, and Congressman Michael Castle for championing the proposal through Congress."  Diehl later went on to say "There are other claimants, to be sure, but the hobby owes a debt of gratitude to Congressman Castle and Mr. Ganz."   Back to Top   5.   How much is the State Quarters program costing the taxpayers? Surprise, but this federal program is completely self-supporting.  What's more, by the time the last State Quarter is released in 2008, the program will have saved taxpayers $6-9 billion.  This cash is derived from proof and mint set sales to the public, and from the profit the government makes for each quarter socked away by collectors.  Every quarter released into circulation nets Uncle Sam more than 20 cents (the quarter is "sold" to a Federal Reserve Bank for 25 cents, but costs less than 5 cents to manufacture.  This process is called seigniorage). The profits from the United States Mint are directed to the Treasury general fund, to help finance U.S. government operations, reduce the need for new or higher taxes, and to slightly alleviate the national debt.   6.   Where are the State Quarters minted? The business strike State Quarters intended for general circulation are produced at the minting facilities in Philadelphia and Denver.  Proof specimens are minted in San Francisco.   7.   When will the quarter for my state be released? Well over half of the quarters have already been issued, but if you're from one of the "newer" states out west still waiting for your state's roll out, you can observe the release schedule and find out approximately when your big day will arrive.   Back to Top   8.   How is the State Quarter release schedule determined? The release schedule is set by the order in which the states joined the Union.  States are honored with a customized design appearing on the reverse of the Washington quarter.      9.   Has there ever been a program similar to the State Quarters? Yes, well sort of.  During the Bicentennial era of 1975-1976, the Mint produced quarters, half dollars and dollars with special reverse designs to celebrate the 200th birthday of the United States. More recently, in 1992, Canada issued a series of 12 commemorative quarter dollar coins over a one-year period, in celebration of the 125th anniversary of Canadian confederation.  The coins honored each of Canada's 12 provinces with a reverse design customized for each province.  The "Canada 125 project", as is was named, served as a working model for our 50 State Quarter program.   Back to Top   10.   Will there be a quarter for the District of Columbia? Yes.  There will also be quarters for the U.S. territories of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.  Legislation was passed on Capitol Hill in late 2007 to madate this.  The DC Quarter and those of the territories come out in 2009.   11. When is the familiar Eagle reverse returning? Under current law, the Eagle reverse is scheduled to return to the "Tails" side of the Washington quarter in 2009, which is the year following the completion of the State Quarter program.  No one should rule out the possibility of new legislation postponing or canceling the Eagle reverse, first introduced in 1932.   12.  How are the state designs chosen? State Quarter Designs will be selected and approved by the process established by Secretary of the Treasury, in accordance with Public Law 105-124.  Procedures for developing State Quarter designs were published by Secretary on January 9, 1998, and revised on March 11, 2003.  The design process consists of nine stages, summarized below: Stage 1:  The United States Mint will initiate the formal state design process by contacting the state governor approximately 24 months prior to the beginning of the year in which the state will be honored.  Stage 2: The state will conduct a concept selection process as determined by the state. The state will provide to the United States Mint at least three, but no more than five, different concepts or themes emblematic of the state. Stage 3:  Based on the narratives, the United States Mint will produce original artwork of the concepts, focusing on aesthetic beauty, historical accuracy, appropriateness and coinability. Stage 4:  The United States Mint will collaborate with state officials on the artwork.  The United States Mint will refine the artwork before forwarding it to the advisory bodies. Stage 5:  The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts will review the candidate designs and make recommendations. Stage 6:  The United States Mint will present the candidate designs to the Secretary of the Treasury for review and approval. Stage 7:  The United States Mint will return to the state all candidate designs approved by the Secretary of the Treasury. Stage 8:  From among the designs approved by the Secretary, the state will recommend the final design through a process determined by the state. Stage 9: The United States Mint will present the state's recommended design to the Secretary for final approval.   Back to Top   13.  What are the guidelines for developing state designs? Public Law 105-124 specifies that "no portrait of a living person shall be included in any design," prohibits any "head and shoulder portrait or bust of any person, living or dead," and gives the Secretary of the Treasury final approval of each design, with the direction that he "shall not select any frivolous or inappropriate design." Suitable subject matter for design concepts include state landmarks (natural and man-made), landscapes, historically significant buildings, symbols of state resources or industries, official state flora and fauna, state icons, and geographical outlines of states.  State flags and seals are not considered suitable.   14.  What is the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee? The Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee (CCCAC) was established by Congress in 1992 to recommend to Congress the events, persons or places to be commemorated by the issuance of commemorative coins. The Committee is chaired by the Director of the United States Mint and is composed of representatives of the numismatic community and the general public.  The CCCAC reviews state design candidates at Stage 5 of the selection process and can make recommendations.   Back to Top   15.  What is the Commission of Fine Arts? The Commission of Fine Arts was established by Congress in 1910 as an independent agency.  The commission advises the government on questions of art and architecture in Washington, D.C., and provides input to Congress and the President on any questions related to art.  They also advise the United States Mint on coin and medal designs.  The Fine Arts commission consists of seven members, who are appointed by the President for four-year terms.  The Fine Arts commission reviews state design candidates at Stage 5 of the selection process.   16.  Why did the design on the "Heads" side change too? Inscriptions traditionally found on the "Tails" side of the quarter were relocated to the "Heads" side to provide more space for greater creative flexibility in developing the state designs. A long-standing statutory requirement for United States coins specifies that all coins shall have the inscriptions "In God We Trust", "Liberty," "United States of America," and "E Pluribus Unum," as well as a designation of the value of the coin and the year of minting or issuance.  Three of the inscriptions ("United States of America", "E Pluribus Unum" and a designation of the value) are required to be placed on the reverse of each coin.  These mandated inscriptions hindered artistic imagination in developing state designs because of the space they occupied on the reverse side of the coin.  Public Law 105-176, enacted May 29, 1998, allowed for any inscription or inscriptions required to be on the reverse of the quarter to be repositioned on the 'Heads" side of the State Quarters.   Back to Top   17.  How do the State Quarters enter circulation? The State Quarters enter circulation like all other coins.  The Treasury Department distributes them to the Federal Reserve Banks, which in turn, distributes the coinage to financial institutions throughout the nation.   18.  Who decides how many State Quarters to produce? The Mint partners with the Federal Reserve to determine how many coins to produce, including State Quarters.  In recent years, the Federal Reserve implemented a forecasting tool at each of its 37 locations.  This tool enables the Federal Reserve to better align its coin orders from the Mint with true coin demand.  Existing inventories can have a bearing on the quantity of coins minted to meet projected demands. One factor impacting demand forecasts for State Quarters is collector interest.  Even though surveys indicate there are more State Quarter collectors every year, the number of quarters set aside has eased downward as the program has matured.  As a result, State Quarter production has decreased every year since 2000.   Back to Top   19.  Are there any rare and valuable State Quarters? In a general sense, no.  There are literally hundreds of millions of quarters minted for each state, so it's hard to imagine anything produced in such abundant numbers as being rare.  Still, in the highest of conditions, say MS-67 or better for certain quarters, some collectors are willing to pay $100 or more to land a specimen.  This is probably more of a testament to the popularity of State Quarters, more than a statement of rarity. On the other hand, some State Quarters containing errors are garnering much attention and high price tags.  When compared to the overall universe of State Quarters, these error coins are rare, but are they valuable?  Those collectors paying serious money to purchase, for example, a 2004 Wisconsin State Quarter error at the height of the market may someday regret it as interest in the State Quarter program inevitably wanes.   20.  Do State Quarters "spend" just like regular quarters? Yes.  State Quarters are legal tender.  Merchants, vending machines, and slot machines are all happy to accept your State Quarters.   Back to Top   21.  How many people are collecting State Quarters? According to the 2004 Mint Director's report, more than 130 million Americans are collecting State Quarters.  This equates to more than one person in every U.S. household.  Perhaps some of the State Quarter collectors have crossed over into other areas of coin collecting.  Over the last several years, we've witnessed a much bigger demand for traditional numismatic material.   22.  Has this program achieved its educational goals? Who knows for sure, but at least we have some anecdotal evidence indicating this is happening.  For instance, at State Quarter unveiling ceremonies, many thousands of adults and children participate.  In all ceremonies, an educational component is central to the event. Moreover, the popularity of H.I.P. Pocket Change™, the Mint's Internet educational outreach, is growing by leaps and bounds.  This interactive website promotes the use of coins as teaching tools and helps teachers and parents bring the incredible history of the United States and our coinage into classrooms and living rooms.  Curriculums for State Quarters are some of the most frequently requested downloads.  Because the public asked for it, online educational activities are now available for all grades K-12.   Every State Quarter transfers some information of value about a state to any onlooker willing to take a few seconds to consider the subject matter.  Like seeds cast into the wind, billions of State Quarters are circulating.  Surely some of these "knowledge seeds" are landing on fertile soil and taking root. Given the heavy emphasis on education, it is probably a safe bet that the State Quarters program is satisfying the congressional mandate to promote "the diffusion of knowledge about the individual states, their history and geography, and the rich diversity of the national heritage " among the youth of America.   Back to Top     ©Copyright 2008 by us-coin-values.advisor.com.  All rights reserved.   Use of any content contained on these website pages without the expressed written consent of us-coin-values-advisor.com is strictly prohibited. No copyrighted images may be used without permission of original copyright owner.