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Release date of Washington State Quarter:
April 02, 2007.
The second commemorative quarter-dollar coin
released in 2007 honors Washington, and is the 42nd coin in the United
States Mint's 50 State Quarters® Program.
Washington, nicknamed the "Evergreen State," was admitted into the
Union on November 11, 1889, becoming our Nation's 42nd state. The
reverse of Washington's quarter features a king salmon breaching the
water in front of majestic Mount Rainier. The coin bears the
inscriptions "The Evergreen State," "Washington" and "1889."
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| The Washington State Quarter
highlights the natural beauty of "The Evergreen State". United
States Mint image.
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Mount Rainier is an active volcano encased in more than 35 square miles
of snow and glacial ice. It is the symbolic bridge between the eastern
and western parts of the State. The salmon is another important symbol
of Washington. It is a traditional image of Pacific Northwest culture,
and this fish has provided nourishment for the native peoples of the
Pacific Northwest. Newsman and real estate pioneer C.T. Conover
nicknamed Washington the "Evergreen State" because of its many lush
evergreen forests.
In April 2005, Governor Chris Gregoire established the
Washington State Quarter Advisory Commission to help guide the quarter
selection process. The Commission requested that residents submit
design narratives representing various Washington themes. The
Commission received more than 1,500 suggestions and chose five
narratives to pass on to the United States Mint. United States Mint
sculptor-engravers and artists in the United States Mint's Artistic
Infusion Program created the corresponding design images. The residents
of Washington participated in a statewide vote in April 2006, in which
more than 130,000 votes were cast. On May 4, 2006, Governor Gregoire
announced Washington's recommendation at Centennial Elementary School
in Olympia, Washington. Governor Gregoire's recommendation, a king
salmon breaching the water in front of Mount Rainier, received the
majority of votes cast in the statewide poll.
The Department of the Treasury approved the design on June 22, 2006.
The two other designs considered during the statewide vote were a
design depicting a salmon, Mount Rainier and an apple within an outline
of Washington State, and a Northwest Native American-stylized orca.
Purchase a Washington
State Quarter
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