But Alabama was Helen Keller! Many thought it would be Volcan. Actually many designs were submitted for these coins. I don't know about the territories but at one point you could vote on the designs for the state quarters.
That depends on your definition of a hill. Considering that the National Mall is relatively flat, the Washiington Monument is on a "mound" which some might call a hill. Some might also not consider Capitol Hill a hill either as it is more of a mound but it's safe to say that both are on higher ground that the Mall. It depends on your regional colloquialism.
I Think changing the obverse of the quarter is a great idea. Washington has been around for 77 years. With the beginning of the national park quarters coming, Theodore Roosevelt should be on the obverse. I dont know if everyone already knows about that, but heres a link. http://nationalparkquarters.com/national-park-quarters-obverse/
Which bring to mind a new trivia question -- of the commonly circulated coins, (cents, nickels, dimes, quarters, and I'll even throw in halves because they use to be somewhat commonly circulated) . . . are we now, in 2009, the longest stretch of time where _none_ of the obverses have been changed? It's been 45 years (JFK half) . . . has there ever been a time that was longer than 45 years?
I'm stoked about the national parks series. That's going to be a sweet one. My only trepidation is that there are a lot of parks that don't have a single defining feature, and some of them might blur together. Like Rocky Mountain National Park, or Olympic, or Black Valley of the Gunnison...no one feature really stands out. I think it'd be quite cool to put Teddy on the front.
Nope -- I meant: 45 years with no changes at all for the cent-nickel-dime-quarter-*and*-half. In 1892 the Barber dimes/quarters/halves started. In other words -- have we ever gone 45 years with *no* (obverse) changes for *any* of the less-than-dollar coins? Or, are we in the midst of the longest period of non obverse change in the history of US coinage?
Yeah, there have been many posts about this already and the haters are already lining up to bash the coins a year before we have even see a sketch. Go figure ...hahahahaha. Some folks just don't like change and change 4 times a year for the next couple of decades ..sends chills up most of their spines. Sad but true. So many haters out there and so few coins...maybe they will leave sacs (American Indian Series) and pres dollars alone for a while ..or maybe not ...lol.
Well if you include commemoratives then it would by Booker T Washington in 1946. Beats Jackie Robinson by 31 years. (And some of them WERE spent and circulated too. So it could be argued that he was the first on a circulating coin as well, but the half dollar was not INTENDED to circulate.) You'll have to cut that time span done a bit then. Kennedy started in 64, and the obverse of the quarter changed in 99. so it is 35 years.
This is the first I've heard of quarters for the national parks. I never read or heard anything about these. Is this new? Has Congress approved it? That would be great.
It's looks like you should be reading Cointalk alot more than you have been if you want the latest and greatest news on numismatics. Both the DC quarter design and the National Park series have been discussed repeatedly over the last several months. You can also make use of the sites "search" function to read up on things you might have missed. That will cut down on the disappointments and surprises in the future. I'm looking forward to the silver bullion versions of the quarters myself ...yummmy! The quarter haters are all ready lining up to bash this series ...something about keeping track of 56 new quarters over the next 11 years rubs them the wrong way...go figure. There is a possibility that the series could go for 22 years with 112 designs ...yeah !!! That might ever outlast some of the quarter haters ..lol (sweet revenge?) I'm excited about this series personally and I'm looking forward to the new design selection process. http://nationalparkquarters.com/