Put your rejoicing on hold for another year. We still have DC and the territories to be issued in 2009. From your referenced web site: "In 2009, the United States Mint will embark on the District of Columbia and United States Territories Quarters Program by minting and issuing the six newly designed quarters to honor the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. These coins will be issued in equal sequential intervals in 2009 in the order listed. The image of George Washington as seen on the obverse of the 50 State Quarters coins will remain unchanged." Apparently they'll be issued every 8+ weeks instead of the 10 week interval for the states.
Although, technically...that is a different program all together. I kind of group them all together in my mind, but they really are different programs initiated by different legal bills.
DMD is right... and I also group them but they will be under different laws. The 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act [Public Law 105-124] http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/index.cfm?action=us1claw Although the US Mint says it will be minted, I could not find the law for DC and the territories. I hope these are minted, DC will be my favorite... site unseen. http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/DCAndTerritories/ Rumor has it... after the above, we will get the National Park Quarter Program. http://www.parkquarters.com/
Eventually, we'll have so many different types of quarters in circulation, it will be a whole new challenge to find ANYTHING you're looking for. I must say though, at first I was a critic of the state quarters program. It didn't interest me at all. I eventually ended up really liking them and collecting the silver proof sets and a basic circulated set for the fun of it. Some may never like them, but it is an interesting and easy set to put together really.
I think it was a fun program...but it sets a bad example. I'm worried that we will be a lot of programs like this in the future and it's going to be a bad thing. One program was fine, but lets just leave it at that. How about some stability for a little while.
(E) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REPRESENTATIONS. No head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design of any quarter dollar under this subsection. I'm not sure what to make of this section of the authorizing law for the 50 state quarter program. By my quick count, nine of the state quarters do have representations of real, identifiable persons. Maybe the literal reading of the law - No head and shoulders portrait... - leaves room to show a full length portrait. But then what about the South Dakota quarter? 1. Delware - Caesar Rodney riding horse 2. New Jersey - George Wshington crossing the Delaware 3. North Crolina - Wright Brothers, Orville flying, Wilbur standing 4. Illinois - Abraham Lincoln standing 5. Alabama - Helen Keller seated 6. Missouri - Lewis and Clark in boat 7. California - John Muir looking at mountain 8. South Dakota - Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln on Mount Rushmore 9. Hawaii - King Kamehameha I
I can hardly wait until it is good bye and good riddance. But of course it will quickly be replaced by some other useless program
The National Parks bill was passed by the house but is locked up in the Senate. If it doesn't pass in the next few days it will have to start over again from scratch once the next Congress is seated in January. I see it's best chance for passage being the same way the Territories quarters got passed, by being slipped in as an amendment into the omnibus federal budget spending bill three months after the time it was supposed to have already been passed by law. That way it never gets discussed, debated, or voted on. The spending bill as a whole get passed hours before the government has to shut down for lack of funding and the President signs it rather tha be seen at being the person that let the govenment shut down.
The quarters program has been fantastic for coin collecting. It's an easily collected group of coins that are fun to look at (even if most of the designs are artistically mediocre), and has brought in a lot of new collectors to the hobby. Many of those new collectors have moved on into other numismatic avenues, and I think all of us have benefited.
i personally like the 50 states program, its what got Me started years and years ago! well that and my grandparents and dad were avid collectors, but still, i bought a nice whitman book for $6 at barnes and nobles, and just from pocket change filled up almost the entire thing up to date, maybe missing 5 or 6 but ill just find them at work one day this week.
