50 State Quarters Program

The 50 State Quarters program is the release of a series of commemorative coins by the United States Mint. Between 1999 and 2008, it is intended to feature each of the 50 individual U.S. states on unique designs for the reverse of the quarter.

During the program, a new statehood quarter is released by the United States Mint every "quintile," or 1/5th of a year (73 days); five designs are released each year. Each quarter's reverse celebrates one of the 50 states with a design honoring its unique history, traditions and symbols, usually designed by a resident of that state and chosen by the state government.

The quarters are released in the same order that the states joined the Union. The obverse of each quarter is a slight redesign of the previous design of the quarter.

The statehood quarters program has become one of the most popular commemorative coin programs in United States history; the United States Mint has estimated that over one hundred million individuals have collected state quarters, either formally or informally.
State: Alabama
Reverse: Helen Keller, seated, longleaf pine branch, Magnolia blossoms. Banner with text: "Spirit of Courage". Caption: "Helen Keller" in standard print and Braille.
Release Date: March 17, 2003
State: Alaska
Reverse: Grizzly bear with salmon. Caption: "The Great Land"
Release Date: 2008
State: Arizona
Reverse: Grand Canyon, Saguaro closeup. Caption: "Grand Canyon State"
Release Date: 2008
State: Arkansas
Reverse: Diamond, rice stalks, mallard duck flying above a lake
Release Date: October 20, 2003
State: California
Reverse: John Muir, California Condor, Half Dome, and Giant Sequoia. Captions: "John Muir," "Yosemite Valley"
Release Date: January 31, 2005
State: Colorado
Reverse: Longs Peak. Banner with text: "Colorful Colorado"
Release Date: June 14, 2006
State: Connecticut
Reverse: Charter Oak. Caption: "The Charter Oak"
Release Date: October 12, 1999
State: Delaware
Reverse: Caesar Rodney on horseback. Captions: "The First State," "Caesar Rodney"
Release Date: January 1, 1999
State: Florida
Reverse: Spanish galleon, Sabal palm trees, Space Shuttle. Caption: "Gateway to Discovery"
Release Date: March 29, 2004
State: Georgia
Reverse: Peach, Live oak sprigs, state outline. Banner with text: "Wisdom, Justice, Moderation" (the state motto)
Release Date: July 19, 1999
State: Hawaii
Reverse: Statue of Kamehameha with state outline and motto. Caption: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono
Release Date: 2008
State: Idaho
Reverse: Peregrine falcon, state outline. Caption: "Esto Perpetua"
Release Date: June 5, 2007
State: Illinois
Reverse: Young Abraham Lincoln; farm scene; Chicago skyline; state outline; 21 stars, 11 on left edge and 10 on right. Captions: "Land of Lincoln;" "21st state/century."
Release Date: January 2, 2003
State: Indiana
Reverse: IndyCar, state outline, 19 stars. Caption: "Crossroads of America"
Release Date: August 8, 2002
State: Iowa
Reverse: Schoolhouse, teacher and students planting a tree,. Captions: "Foundation in Education", "Grant Wood"
Release Date: August 30, 2004
State: Kansas
Reverse: American Bison, Sunflowers
Release Date: August 29, 2005
State: Kentucky
Reverse: Thoroughbred racehorse behind fence, Bardstown mansion, Federal Hill. Caption: "My Old Kentucky Home"
Release Date: October 15, 2001
State: Louisiana
Reverse: Pelican; trumpet with musical notes, outline of Louisiana Purchase on map of U.S.. Caption: "Louisiana Purchase"
Release Date: May 30, 2002
State: Maine
Reverse: Pemaquid Point Lighthouse; schooner at sea
Release Date: June 2, 2003
State: Maryland
Reverse: Dome of the Maryland state house, White oak clusters. Caption: "The Old Line State"
Release Date: March 13, 2000
State: Massachusetts
Reverse: "The Minuteman" statue, state outline. Caption: "The Bay State"
Release Date: January 3, 2000
State: Michigan
Reverse: State outline, outline of Great Lakes system. Caption: "Great Lakes State"
Release Date: January 26, 2004
State: Minnesota
Reverse: Common loon, Fishing, state map. Caption: "Land of 10,000 Lakes"
Release Date: April 4, 2005
State: Mississippi
Reverse: Two magnolia blossoms. Caption: "The Magnolia State"
Release Date: October 15, 2002
State: Missouri
Reverse: Gateway Arch, Lewis and Clark returning down Missouri River. Caption: "Corps of Discovery 1804-2004."
Release Date: August 4, 2003
State: Montana
Reverse: Bison skull in the center with mountains and the Missouri River in the background.. Caption: "Big Sky Country"
Release Date: January 29, 2007
State: Nebraska
Reverse: Chimney Rock, covered wagon. Caption: "Chimney Rock"
Release Date: April 3, 2006
State: Nevada
Reverse: Mustangs, mountains, rising sun, Sagebrush. Banner with text: "The Silver State"
Release Date: January 31, 2006
State: New Hampshire
Reverse: "The Old Man of the Mountain," nine stars. Captions: "Old Man of the Mountain," "Live Free or Die"
Release Date: August 7, 2000
State: New Jersey
Reverse: "Washington Crossing the Delaware" which includes George Washington and James Monroe (holding flag). Caption: "Crossroads of the Revolution."
Release Date: May 17, 1999
State: New Mexico
Reverse: State outline, Zia Sun Symbol from flag. Caption: "Land of Enchantment"
Release Date: 2008
State: New York
Reverse: Statue of Liberty, eleven stars, state outline with line tracing Hudson River and Erie Canal. Caption: "Gateway to Freedom"
Release Date: January 2, 2001
State: North Carolina
Reverse: Wright Flyer, Wilbur and Orville Wright. Caption: "First Flight"
Release Date: March 12, 2001
State: North Dakota
Reverse: Bison, badlands
Release Date: August 28, 2006
State: Ohio
Reverse: Wright Flyer, spacesuit, state outline. Caption: "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers"
Release Date: March 18, 2002
State: Oklahoma
Reverse: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, with Indian Blankets (the state wildflower) in background
Release Date: 2008
State: Oregon
Reverse: Crater Lake National Park. Caption: "Crater Lake"
Release Date: June 6, 2005
State: Pennsylvania
Reverse: "Commonwealth" statue, state outline, keystone. Caption: "Virtue, Liberty, Independence"
Release Date: March 8, 1999
State: Rhode Island
Reverse: Vintage sailboat in Narragansett Bay, Pell Bridge. Caption: "The Ocean State"
Release Date: May 21, 2001
State: South Carolina
Reverse: Palmetto tree, Carolina Wren, Yellow Jessamine, state outline. Caption: "The Palmetto State"
Release Date: May 22, 2000
State: South Dakota
Reverse: Mount Rushmore, Ring-necked Pheasant, Wheat
Release Date: November 6, 2006
State: Tennessee
Reverse: Fiddle, trumpet, guitar, musical score, three stars. Banner with text: "Musical Heritage."
Release Date: January 2, 2002
State: Texas
Reverse: State outline, star, rope. Caption: "The Lone Star State"
Release Date: June 1, 2004
State: Utah
Reverse: Golden Spike and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Caption: Crossroads of the West
Release Date: 2007
State:
Reverse: Maple trees with sap buckets, Camel's Hump Mountain. Caption: "Freedom and Unity"
Release Date: August 6, 2001
State: Virginia
Reverse: Ships Susan Constant, Godspeed, Discovery. Captions: "Jamestown, 1607-2007," "Quadricentennial"
Release Date: October 16, 2000
State: Washington
Reverse: Salmon leaping in front of Mount Rainier. Caption: "The Evergreen State"
Release Date: April 11, 2007
State: West Virginia
Reverse: New River Gorge Bridge. Caption: "New River Gorge"
Release Date: October 14, 2005
State: Wisconsin
Reverse: Head of a cow, round of cheese and ear of corn. Banner with text: "Forward"
Release Date: October 25, 2004
State: Wyoming
Reverse: Outline of a bucking bronco. Caption: "The Equality State"
Release Date: September 4, 2007

Applicability to non-states

Although the statehood program is, by legislation, intended to include only the 50 states, legislation has been introduced five times in the United States Congress to extend the program an additional year to include the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.

During the 106th, 107th, 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses, these bills had passed through the House of Representatives, and even had 34 Senate sponsors for the Senate bill during the 108th; however, none of these bills were passed by the Senate. H.R. 3885, the version in the 109th Congress, passed the House by voice vote in the early hours of December 9, 2006, just before it adjourned sine die; but the Senate adjourned sine die shortly thereafter without considering the bill. The 110th Congress version of the bill, H.R. 392, was introduced on January 10, 2007 by the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico Luis Fortuno and was passed by the House of Representatives on January 23, 2007 where it awaits a Senate vote.

The 1997 act that authorized the statehood quarter program provided that if the federal district, or any of the territories or commonwealths, became states before 2009, that new state would get a quarter.