State quarter showcases natural heritage

Polls remind us repeatedly that a majority of Americans favor policies that protect the environment. To see evidence of this concern, look no further than your pocket change.

Since 1999, the U.S. Mint has issued billions of new quarters that honor the 50 states. They have been released in the order that states entered the Union. To date 43 state quarters have been issued. Wyoming’s quarter will be released in September. Utah follows later this year, and the last five quarters (Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii) will be minted in 2008.

Each state was responsible for developing its own design. Most states (30 of 50) chose a theme that highlighted their natural heritage. Given the opportunity to design a coin that would promote the state to hundreds of millions of Americans and foreign tourists, 60 percent of the states chose a design that featured wildlife and/or scenic vistas. The rest selected designs that highlighted historical and/or cultural themes.

The Mint’s State Commemorative Quarters Program has been a smashing success. According to the U.S. Mint, the number of quarters produced for each state ranges from as few as 448,800,000 for Maine to more than 1.5 billion for Virginia. Many people, including me, collect them, and some even hoard them. It’s the designs that make the state quarters so desirable. Collecting state quarters is a great way to introduce kids to U.S. history and culture and our natural heritage.

What’s available

If you haven’t yet begun collecting the state quarters, here’s what you’ve missed.

Of the fifty state quarters (seven remain to be issued), 30 highlight natural features, 19 depict cultural accomplishments, and 17 focus on history. The total exceeds 50 because several quarters feature more than one theme. Louisiana’s quarter, for example, depicts a brown pelican (nature), the Louisiana Purchase (history), and a trumpet with musical notes (culture).

Of the 30 quarters that focus on natural heritage, eight feature birds and 11 others depict animals that include bison, wild mustangs, domestic horses and cows, salmon and a brown bear. That means 38 percent of the state quarters feature wildlife.

Cultural icons featured on 19 quarters include a cowboy on a bucking bronco (Wyoming), Mount Rushmore (South Dakota), cheese (Wisconsin), bridges (West Virginia, Rhode Island), vehicles (Indiana, Florida, Ohio, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Utah), and buildings (Maryland, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Maine).

History dominates eight of the first 13 state quarters, including the first three. Delaware features patriot Caesar Rodney making a historic horseback ride. Pennsylvania depicts the statue “Commonwealth” which has topped the state capitol dome since 1905. And New Jersey commemorates Washington crossing the Delaware River into Trenton. Other notable historical quarters include Massachusetts (a minuteman), Ohio (aviation), Illinois (young Abe Lincoln) and Nebraska (ox-drawn covered wagon).

My favorites

My nominees for best state quarters follow. Let me know if you agree or disagree.

Best natural heritage design: Arizona (desert cacti, Grand Canyon; to come in 2008), California (John Muir, condor, Half Dome), Oregon (Crater Lake)

Best wildlife design: North Dakota (bison), Nevada (wild mustangs), Alaska (brown bear; to be issued late next year)

Best bird design: Oklahoma (scissor-tailed flycatcher; to be issued in early 2008), Minnesota (loon), Idaho (peregrine falcon)

Best historical design: Utah (two locomotives meet at the completion of the transcontinental railroad), Missouri (Lewis & Clark)

Best cultural design: Wisconsin (cheese, corn, cow), Tennessee (three musical instruments), Indiana (Indy race car)

Special mention: Alabama’s quarter depicts an image of Helen Keller with her name in English and reduced-size Braille. This makes the Alabama quarter the first circulating U.S. coin to feature Braille.

Thanks to the success of the state quarter program, the U.S Mint began this year honoring U.S presidents on dollar coins. Each year four presidents will be featured annually. Washington, Adams and Jefferson are now in circulation.

And don’t overlook the lowly nickel. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, nickels have been issued that feature a new Jefferson portrait, a new buffalo design, and Lewis & Clark’s westward journey.

So next time you throw change on the dresser, check out any recently minted coins for hard evidence of how much Americans value our natural, historical and cultural heritage.

To see all the state quarter designs, visit www.quarterdesigns.com.

XSend questions and comments to Dr. Scott Shalaway, R.D. 5, Cameron, W.Va. 26033 or via e-mail to sshalaway@aol.com