The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 49, December 2, 2007, Article 32

THE LAST STATE QUARTER DESIGNS

The New York Times was among many newspapers reporting this
week on the last five designs in the U.S. Mint's 50 States
Quarter program:

"The final five designs in the popular State Quarters series
were announced yesterday by the United States Mint.

"The new coins will be minted and issued in 10-week intervals
throughout 2008 with designs honoring Oklahoma, New Mexico,
Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii. These coins wrap up the series
that began in 1999 with a quarter honoring Delaware. Surveys
by the Mint have found that nearly half of all Americans
collect the state quarters, either in casual accumulations
or as a serious numismatic pursuit.

"Jay Johnson was director of the Mint in 2000 and 2001 in
the early days of the program. He now works for a private
company, the Franklin Mint, as its chief numismatist,
supervising the production of what he calls 'enhanced'
versions of the official coins by colorizing them or
gold-plating them. He predicted that public interest in
the state quarters would surge in the coming year. In other
countries with long-running series of coins, he said,
interest is usually strongest in the first and final years,
as collectors realize their sets can now be completed.

"But the series may get an extra breath of life. A bill to
issue six more coins in 2009, honoring the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United
States Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands has
been approved by the House of Representatives and is now
awaiting action in the Senate banking committee."

To read the complete article, see:
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"It costs the government around 9 to 10 cents to make a
quarter, but the Mint sells the coins at face value. The
increased production has amounted to an estimated $3.8
billion in extra profits for the government.

"'It is one of those rare programs that actually made money
for the federal government,' said Rep. Michael Castle,
R-Delaware, the original sponsor of the state quarter
legislation.

"The quarters are scheduled to revert back to their pre-1999
designs after next year. George Washington will remain on the
'heads' side of the coin, but the 'tails' side where the state
designs had been placed will once again feature an American
eagle."

To read the complete article, see:
Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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