US Mint // 50-State Quarters® // Numismatic Project


     

The commemorative 50-State Quarter® coins (25 ¢) were issued from 1999 to 2009
in the order of the date on which the states were admitted into the Union.

Please click on the star to view a map of the United States.

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
(Please click on year to display images of the corresponding quarters)

Standard obverse and reverse design
of quarter-dollar coin (25 ¢) until 1998
Redesigned obverse of
commemorative quarter-dollar
coin (25 ¢) since 1999

When the 50-State Quarters© Program began in 1999 the obverse design was altered slightly. The reason for this was to include some of the wording from the reverse. Certain things are required by law and cannot be omitted. Also this allowed more freedom for the state design. However, the obverse is still the recognizable image of Americas first president
George Washington
(* February 22, 1732, † December 14, 1799)
in office from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797
The back is where the quarters are different. Each one has the name of the state, the year the
quarter was issued, the year of statehood, the words "E Pluribus Unum", and a special design
unique to that state. Each state was free to make up its own design.

Coin Specifications:
The coins were manufactured at the United States Mint facilities
at Philadelphia (P) and Denver (D)
Standard Weight:
Standard Diameter:
Thickness:
Edge:
Composition:
5.670 g
0.955 inch (24.26 mm)
1.75 mm
Reeded
Cupro-Nickel Clad
(8.33% Nickel, Balance Cu)

        

State Quarter Issuance 1999
 
  January 4, 1999
Delaware
The First State
Statehood on December 7, 1787 (1)

Patriot Caesar Rodney's historic horseback ride
to the Continental Congress in 1776 to cast
the deciding vote in favor of independence;
inscriptions:
"CEASAR RODNEY" and "THE FIRST STATE"
 
  March 8, 1999
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Keystone State
Statehood on December 12, 1787 (2)

"Commonwealth" statue, an allegorical female figure,
on top of the state capitol dome in Harrisburg, PA;
topographical outline of the state with
incorporated keystone and state motto:
"VIRTUE, LIBERTY, INDEPENDENCE"
 
  May 17, 1999
New Jersey
The Garden State
Statehood on December 18, 1787 (3)

General George Washington and members of the
Colonial Army crossing the Delaware River at
Christmas night 1776 (design based on a
1851
painting by Emmanuel Leutze,
German-American history painter, * 1816, † 1868)
;
inscription:
"CROSSROADS OF THE REVOLUTION"
 
  July 19, 1999
Georgia
The Peach State
Statehood on January 2, 1788 (4)

Peach within the confines of a
silhouette outline of the state;
oak sprigs, symbolic of the state tree;
banner bearing the state motto:
"WISDOM, JUSTICE, MODERATION"
 
  October 12, 1999
Connecticut
The Constitution State
Statehood on January 9, 1788 (5)

"The Charter Oak"
Heroic Captain Joseph Wadsworth saved
Connecticut's Charter from the hands of the British
by concealing it in this majestic white oak
 

        

State Quarter Issuance 2000
 
  January 13, 2000
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
The Bay State
Statehood on February 6, 1788 (6)

"The Minuteman",
famous statue that stands guard at the
Minuteman National Historical Park, Concord;
topographical outline of the state
and the nickname
"THE BAY STATE"
 
  March 13, 2000
Maryland
The Old Line State
Statehood on April 28, 1788 (7)

Wooden Dome of the Maryland Statehouse
dating back to 1772 and built without nails;
White Oak leaf clusters, symbolic of the state tree
and the nickname
"THE OLD LINE STATE"
 
  May 22, 2000
South Carolina
The Palmetto State
Statehood on May 3, 1788 (8)

Topographical outline of the state
with inscribed nickname "THE PALMETTO STATE"
and a star indicating the capital Columbia;
Carolina Wren, Yellow Jessamine, Palmetto Tree
representing the state bird, flower and tree
 
  August 7, 2000
New Hampshire
The Granite State
Statehood on June 21, 1788 (9)

"The Old Man of the Mountain",
natural rock formation on Mt. Cannon;
state motto: "LIVE FREE OR DIE";
nine stars symbolizing the ratification
of the Constitution as 9th state
 
  October 16, 2000
Commonwealth of Virginia
The Old Dominion State
Statehood on June 25, 1788 (10)

Jamestown
Quadricentennial (1607 - 2007)
Ships "Discovery", "Godspeed" and "Susan Constant"
that brought the first settlers to Jamestown in 1607
 

        

State Quarter Issuance 2001
 
  January 2, 2001
New York
The Empire State
Statehood on July 26, 1788 (11)

"Statue of Liberty",
dedicated on October 28, 1886 and
located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor;
topographical outline of the state with
incorporated line tracing the Hudson River and
the route of the Erie Canal;
eleven stars symbolizing the ratification
of the Constitution as 11th state;
inscription:
"GATEWAY TO FREEDOM"
 
  March 12, 2001
North Carolina
The Tar Heel State
Statehood on November 21, 1789 (12)

"FIRST FLIGHT",
famous photograph of 1903,
the first successfull airplane flight
that took place in Kitty Hawk, NC
 
  May 21, 2001
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Ocean State
Statehood on May 29, 1790 (13)

Vintage sailboat gliding through Narragansett Bay;
image of Claiborne Pell Bridge (Newport Bridge)
linking Newport, RI, on Aquidneck Island
with Jamestown, RI, on Conanicut Island
 
  August 6, 2001
Vermont
The Green Mountain State
Statehood on March 4, 1791 (14)

Camel's Hump Mountain,
maple trees with sap buckets,
inscrpition:
"FREEDOM AND UNITY"
 
  October 15, 2001
Kentucky
The Bluegrass State
Statehood on June 1, 1792 (15)

Federal Hill Mansion, built in 1795;
thoroughbred racehorse behind a fence;
inscription:
"MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME"
 

        

State Quarter Issuance 2002
 
  October 15, 2002
Tennessee
The Volunteer State
Statehood on June 1, 1796 (16)

Guitar, trumpet and fiddle;
three stars represent the states regions and
the instruments symbolize each region's
distinct musical style;
Banner:
"MUSICAL HERITAGE"
 
  March 11, 2002
Ohio
The Buckeye State
Statehood on March 1, 1803 (17)

Topographical outline of the state;
early aircraft and astronaut;
inscription:
"BIRTHPLACE OF AVIATION PIONEERS"
 
  May 20, 2002
Louisiana
The Pelican State
Statehood on April 30, 1812 (18)

Trumpet with musical notes;
topographical outline of the
Louisiana Purchase territory;
state bird Pelican;
inscription:
"LOUISIANA PURCHASE"
 
  August 2, 2002
Indiana
The Hoosier State
Statehood on December 11, 1816 (19)

Race car superimposed on a
topographical outline of the state;
nineteen stars symbolizing the ratification
of the Constitution as 19th state;
inscription:
"CROSSROADS OF AMERICA"
 
  October 15, 2002
Mississippi
The Magnolia State
Statehood on December 10, 1817 (20)

Blossoms and leaves of two magnolias;
insccription:
"The Magnolia State"
 

        

State Quarter Issuance 2003
 
  January 2, 2003
Illinois
The Prairie State
Statehood on December 3, 1818 (21)

Young Abraham Lincoln within the
topographical outline of the state;
farm buildings (left) and Chicago skyline (right);
21 stars symbolizing the ratification
of the Constitution as 21st state;
inscriptions:
"Land of Lincoln" and "21st State Century"
 
  March 17, 2003
Alabama
The Yellowhammer State
Statehood on December 14, 1819 (22)

Helen Keller,
deaf and blind American writer,
(* 1880, † 1968);
her name in English and in a
reduced-size version of Braille;
Alabama long leaf pine branch and magnolias;
Banner reading
"SPIRIT of COURAGE"
 
  June 2,, 2003
Maine
The Pine Tree State
Statehood on March 15, 1820 (23)

Pemaquid Point Light, built in 1827, atop the
granite coast of Bristol, Lincoln County, ME
and of a schooner at sea
 
  August 4, 2003
Missouri
The Show Me State
Statehood on August 10, 1821 (24)

Lewis and Clark historic return from their
expedition (1804-1806) on the Missouri River;
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
(Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO);
inscription:
"CORPS OF DISCOVERY 1804 - 2004"
 
  October 20, 2003
Arkansas
The Natural State
Statehood on June 15, 1836 (25)

Rice stalks and diamond;
mallard flying above a lake
 

        

State Quarter Issuance 2004
 
  January 26, 2004
Michigan
The Great Lakes State // The Mitten State
Statehood on January 26, 1837 (26)

Topographical outline of the state and
the Great Lakes system;
inscription:
"GREAT LAKES STATE"
 
  March 29, 2004
Florida
The Sunshine State
Statehood on March 3, 1845 (27)

16th-century Spanish galleon;
Space shuttle;
Strip of land with Sabal palm trees
and the inscription:
"GATEWAY TO DISCOVERY"
 
  June 1, 2004
Texas
The Loan Star State
Statehood on December 29, 1845 (28)

Superimposed star on the state's outline;
lariat, symbolic for the cattle and cowboy history;
inscription:
"The Lone Star State"
 
  August 30, 2004
Iowa
The Hawkeye State
Statehood on December 28, 1846 (29)

One-room schoolhouse,
teacher and students planting a tree,
based on "Arbor Day", a painting by Grant Wood
(American painter, * 1891, † 1942);
inscriptions:
"FOUNDATION IN EDUCATION"
and "GRANT WOOD"
 
  October 25, 2004
Wisconsin
The Badger State
Statehood on Mai 29, 1848 (30)

Cow, round of cheese, ear of corn;
state motto on banner:
"FORWARD"
 

        

State Quarter Issuance 2005
 
  January 31, 2005
California
The Golden State
Statehood on September 9, 1850 (31)

John Muir,
naturalist, writer, conservationist
(* 1838, † 1914);
granite headwall "Half Dome" in Yosemite Valley;
soaring California Condor;
inscriptions:
"JOHN MUIR"
and "YOSEMITE VALLEY"
 
  April 4, 2005
Minnesota
Land of 10,000 Lakes
Statehood on May 11, 1858 (32)

Textured outline of the state
"LAND OF 10,000 LAKES";
tree-lined lake with two people fishing
from a boat and a loon on the water
 
  June 6, 2005
Oregon
The Beaver State
Statehood on February 14, 1859 (33)

Crater Lake with Wizard Island
(deepest US lake, 1,949 ft [594 m]);
Watchman and Hillman Peaks;
conifers on the lake's rim;
inscription:
"CRATER LAKE"
 
  June 6, 2005
Kansas
The Sunflower State
Statehood on January 21, 1861 (34)

State animal American bison (buffalo)
and state flower Sunflower
 
  October 14, 2005
West Virginia
The Mountain State
Statehood on June 20, 1863 (35)

New River, Gorge, Bridge
inscription:
"NEW RIVER GORGE"
 

        

State Quarter Issuance 2006
 
  January 31, 2006
Nevada
The Silver State
Statehood on October 31, 1864 (36)

Trio of wild mustangs;
sunrising behind snow-capped mountains;
sagebrush (Artemisia vulgaris);
banner reading:
"THE SILVER STATE"
 
  April 3, 2006
Nebraska
The Cornhusker State
Statehood on March 1, 1861 (37)

Sun behind ox-drawn covered pioneer wagon;
natural wonder Chimney Rock (445 ft [135 m])
rising from the valley of North Platte River;
inscription:
"CHIMNEY ROCK"
 
  June 14, 2006
Colorado
The Centennial State
Statehood on August 1, 1876 (38)

Sweeping view of the state's rugged
Rocky Mountains with evergreen trees;
banner reading:
"COLORFUL COLORADO"
 
  August 28, 2006
North Dakota
The Peace Garden State
Statehood on November 2, 1889 (39)

Pair of grazing American bison;
sunset view of the rugged buttes and canyons
in the state's Badland region
 
  November 6, 2006
South Dakota
The Mount Rushmore State
Statehood on November 2, 1889 (40)

State bird Chinese ring-necked pheasant;
Mount Rushmore National Monument
featuring the faces of four American presidents
(George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln)

bordered by heads of wheat
 

        

State Quarter Issuance 2007
 
  January 29, 2007
Montana
The Big Sky Country
Statehood on September 8, 1889 (41)

Bison skull and Montana landscape;
inscription:
"BIG SKY COUNTRY"
 
  April 2, 2007
Washington
The Evergreen State
Statehood: November 11, 1889 (42)

King salmon breaching the water
in front of majestic Mount Rainier;
inscription:
"THE EVERGREEN STATE"
 
  June 4, 2007
Idaho
The Gem State
Statehood on July 3, 1890 (43)

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus);
topographical outline of the state;
inscription:
"ESTO PERPETUA [may it be forever]"
 
  September 4, 2007
Wyoming
The Equality State

Statehood on July 10, 1890 (44)
Bucking horse and rider
inscription:
"THE EQUALITY STATE"
 
  November 5, 2007
Utah
The Beehive State
Statehood on January 4, 1896 (45)

Two steam locomotives moving toward the
golden spike that joined the Central Pacific and
Union Pacific railroads on May 10, 1869,
linking East to West and transforming
both the Utah Territory and the Nation
with the inscription:
"CROSSROADS OF THE WEST"
 

        

State Quarter Issuance 2008
 
  January 28, 2008
Oklahoma
The Sooner State
Statehood: November 16, 1907 (46)

State bird Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
(Tyrannus forficatus);
state wildflower Indian Blanket
(Gaillardia pulchella)
 
  April7, 2008
New Mexico
The Land of Enchantment
Statehood on January 6, 1912 (47)

Zia sun symbol over a
topographical outline of the state;
inscription:
"LAND OF ENCHANTMENT"
 
  June 2, 2008
Arizona
The Grand Canyon State
Statehood on February 14, 1912 (48)

Image of Grand Canyon with sunset;
state symbol Saguaro cactus
(Carnegiea gigantea);
banner reading:
"GRAND CANYON STATE"
 
  August 25, 2008
Alaska
The Last Frontier
Statehood on January 3, 1959 (49)

Grizzly bear emerging from the waters
clutching a salmon in its jaw;
North Star above the inscription:
"THE GREAT LAND"
 
  November 3, 2008
Hawai'i
The Aloha State
Statehood on August 21, 1959 (50)

Hawaiian monarch King Kamehamea I.
stretching his hands toward the
eight major Hawaiian Islands;
inscription of state motto:
"UA MAU KEEA O KA 'ÃINA I KA PONO"
("The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness")
 

        


Territory Quarter Issuance 2009

Please click on the star to view a map of the territories location
 
 
  January 26, 2009
District of Columbia
created on July 16, 1790,
location of the U.S. capital
Washington, DC

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington,
composer and musician,
(* 1899, † 1974),
seated at a grand piano with the inscription
"DUKE ELLINGTON";
district motto:
"JUSTICE FOR ALL"
 
  March 30, 2009
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
John is His Name
Capital is San Juan
Island in the Caribbean

US posession since 1898
(Treaty of Paris),
US citizenship granted in 1917,
US Commonwealth since July 25, 1952

On November 6, 2012 the people of Puerto Rico
voted in a referendum to be admitted
into the United States as 51st state.

The coin depicts:
Historic sentry box and hibiscus flower;
inscription:
"Isla del Encanto"
 
  May 26, 2009
Guam
Where America's Day begins
Capital is Hagátña

Island in the western Pacific Ocean,
southernmost island in the Mariana island chain
and largest island in Micronesia

US posession since 1898
(Treaty of Paris),
Japanese occupation in II. World War
Dec 8, 1941 - July 21, 1944,
US citizenship granted in 1950

The coin depicts:
Topographical outline of the island;
flying proa
(seagoing craft built by the Chamorro people);
latte stone
(architectural element used as the base of homes);
inscription:
"Guahan I Tanó ManChamorro"
(Guam, land of the Chamorro)
 
  July 27, 2009
US Virgin Islands
Capital is Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas Island
Group of islands in the Caribbean located in the
Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles

Purchased from Denmark in 1917
US citizenship granted in 1927

The coin depicts:
Topographical outlines of the three major islands
Saint Thomas, Saint John and Saint Croix;
official bird Yellow Breast or Bananaquit
(Coereba flaveola);
official flower Yellow Ceder or Yellow Elder;
Tyre Palm Tree;
motto of the territory:
"United in Pride and Hope"
 
  September 28, 2009
American Samoa
Capital is Pago Pago on Tutuila Island
Group of five islands and two coral atolls
in the South Pacific

US Territory since April 17, 1900

The coin depicts:
ava bowl ("tanoa");
whisk and staff;
coconut trees on the shore;
motto of the territory:
"SAMOA MUAMUA LE ATUA"
(Samoa, Let God be First)
 
  November 30, 2009
Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands

Capital is Capitol Hill on Saipan Island
Group of 15 islands in the western Pacific Ocean
located about three-quarters of the way
between Hawai'i and the Philippines

US Trust Territory since 1947
US Commonwealth since 1976

The coin depicts:
Two white fairy tern birds;
limestone latte near the shore
(supporting column of ancient indigenous
Chamorro structures);

canoe of the indigenous Carolinians;

Carolinian mwar (head lei),
symbolic of the virtues of honor and respect,
composed of plumeria, langilang (Ylang Ylang),
angagha (peacock flower) and teibwo (Pacific Basil)
 

  

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