History of the Quarter

     In 1793, when the Philadelphia Mint started making coins, there was a lot of talk about what material should be used to make the quarter dollar. The Mint chose to use silver. In 1873, the Mint decided the coin was not heavy enough so extra weight was added. The Mint Act of 1965 required the use of an alloy of copper and nickel, instead of silver.

     The Mint Act of 1792 was the first official act to direct attention to the design of the quarter. The Act specified that certain design features and legends would appear on authorized coins. One side of the coin had to include the year in which it was made, an impression that symbolized liberty and the actual word "Liberty." For more than 115 years, liberty was symbolized on the front of the coin by female figures (Lady Liberty) in the form of a bust or a full-length figure. The back of the quarter featured an eagle and the words "United States of America."

     The representations of Lady Liberty and the eagle during the late 18th and 19th centuries were changed many times. The eagle also had a few makeovers. It began as a small eagle that many thought looked too much like a pigeon. Over time, the eagle grew to become a grander and more patriotic eagle.

     There have been other changes as well. In 1932, the bicentennial of George Washington's birthday, a silhouette of Washington's head replaced Lady Liberty. The year 1976 was the bicentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and in that year, a colonial drummer replaced the eagle on the back of the coin.

The Schedule

     When do they come out? The coins appear about every 10 weeks. They are being made in the mints in Philadelphia and Denver, according to the order when each part of the country became a state.

     In 1999, the quarters honored these states in this order: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut. In 2000, coins honored Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia and in 2001, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont and Kentucky. Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana and Mississippi were the states for 2002. Last year in 2003, we saw new quarters for Illinois, Alabama, Maine, Missouri and Arkansas.

     For this year, we will see quarters for Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa and Wisconsin. 2005 - California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas and West Virginia. 2006 - Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North and South Dakota. 2007 - Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah. 2008- Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii.

     There is no cost for taxpayers for producing these new quarters.

     All of the current words used on quarters will appear on the state quarters. They will have the inscriptions "In God We Trust," "Liberty," "United States of America" and "E Pluribus Unum," as well as the value of the coin and the year when it's made.

     The people who design the quarters can use state landmarks, landscapes, historically significant buildings, symbols of state resources and industries, plants and animals, state icons and outlines of states. State flags and seals aren't considered suitable.

     And yes, before you ask, the state quarters will work in vending machines!!

Did You Know?

...it will take 10 years for the U.S. Treasury to produce and send out all the new quarters for all 50 states?