State-Quarter.com

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint announced today that the limited edition of 50,000 Oregon Official First Day Coin Covers will be available online at www.usmint.gov, beginning at noon (ET) on July 7, 2005.

Priced at $19.95, the Oregon Official First Day Coin Cover features two Oregon commemorative quarter-dollar coins – one each bearing a mint mark from the United States Mint facilities at Philadelphia and Denver.

This limited-edition cover – only 50,000 will be produced – features two Oregon quarters from May 4, 2005, the first day of mintage. Each cover includes two quarters on a handsome display card with the 37-cent United States Flag postage stamp. The postmark of June 6, 2005, Crater Lake, Oregon, marks the day the Oregon quarter-dollars were first released to the Federal Reserve Bank and to the public.

On February 14, 1859, Oregon became the 33rd state to be admitted into the Union, and the Oregon quarter is the 33rd coin to be issued in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters® Program. The reverse design features Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States, viewed from the south-southwest rim. The design incorporates Wizard Island, as well as Watchman and Hillman Peaks on the lake’s rim and conifers. The coin bears the inscription “Crater Lake.”

The 50 State Quarters Program honors the states in the order that they ratified the Constitution or were admitted into the Union. Five commemorative quarters will be issued each year from 1999 through 2008, at approximately 10-week intervals.

Customers can purchase the Oregon Official First Day Coin Covers online through the United States Mint’s secure website at www.usmint.gov, or by calling toll-free 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468) 8:00 a.m. to midnight (ET), seven days a week. Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468) 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday. As an added convenience, customers can participate in a subscription program in which specific products, such as Official First Day Coin Covers, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each new quarter-dollar coin cover is released. A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all orders. Please allow approximately three to four weeks for delivery.

PORTLAND, OR – Gloria Eskridge, the United States Mint Associate Director for Sales and Marketing, joined Governor Ted Kulongoski today to officially launch the Oregon commemorative quarter-dollar coin in front of the Oregon State Historical Society in downtown Portland. The reverse design of the new quarter features an image of Oregon’s Crater Lake, which is 1,949 feet deep – the deepest lake in the United States. The third quarter to be released in 2005, it is the 33rd coin to be issued in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters® Program.

“Crater Lake is a great choice for the Oregon quarter,” said Associate Director Eskridge. “Crystal clear and deep, deep blue, Crater Lake’s singular beauty is sacred to the region’s Native Americans and beloved by Oregonians and the thousands who visit Crater Lake National Park every year. Because of this quarter, many more will discover Oregon’s natural wonders.”

Following the launch ceremony, which featured three of Oregon’s Native American tribes, an ice cream party was held, and coin collectors of all ages exchanged their dollar bills for rolls of Oregon quarters. On the eve of the Oregon quarter launch ceremony, the United States Mint hosted a Coin Collectors Forum at the Oregon Historical Society to discuss what the American people would like to see in their coinage. Lesson plans about the Oregon Quarter, the 50 State Quarters Program, and the Westward Journey Nickel Series™, may be downloaded free from the United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change website at http://www.usmint.gov/kids. Teachers, parents and students can also explore the many other teaching aids, and the games, puzzles and stories for kids that show how coins are “history in your pocket.”

The Oregon quarter is available in two-roll sets (40 coins per roll); including one roll each from the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins, at the United States Mint website at www.usmint.gov. The two-roll sets are $32.00, bags of 100 coins are $35.50, and bags of 1,000 coins are $300.00.

WASHINGTON — The United States Mint announced today that commemorative quarter-dollar coins honoring Oregon, the third coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program to be released in 2005, will go on sale beginning June 6, 2005, at 12:00 noon (ET), and will be available for purchase during the 10-week release period. The Oregon quarter-dollars are available in two-roll sets (40 coins per roll), including one roll each from the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins.

On February 14, 1859, Oregon became the 33rd state to be admitted into the Union, and the Oregon quarter is the 33rd coin to be issued in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters Program. The reverse design features Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States, viewed from the south-southwest rim. The design incorporates Wizard Island, as well as Watchman and Hillman Peaks, on the lake’s rim and conifers. The coin bears the inscription “Crater Lake.”

Crater Lake is a unique and stunning natural treasure, formed more than 7,700 years ago by the collapse of Mt. Mazama in what is now southern Oregon. At 1,949 feet, it is the deepest lake in the United States and the seventh deepest in the world, and has a record clarity depth of 134 feet. The main cause of Crater Lake’s remarkable clarity is its isolation from incoming streams and rivers.

Each coin roll in the two-roll set is wrapped in a specially designed United States Mint paper coin wrap that prominently displays the 50 State Quarters Program logo, a “P” or “D” representing the roll’s mint of origin, “OR” designating the State of Oregon, and “$10” representing its dollar value. Two-roll sets will sell for $32.00, bags of 100 coins for $35.50, and bags of 1,000 coins for $300.00. Each bag is marked with the mint of origin and the dollar value of its contents ($25.00 or $250.00). These two-roll sets and bags feature quarters used in regular transactions and are struck on our main production floors at the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver. There is no order limit on these products.

Customers can purchase the Oregon quarter-dollars in two-roll sets and bags by using the United States Mint’s secure website, www.usmint.gov, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). As an added convenience, customers can participate in a subscription-ordering program in which specific products, such as two-roll sets and bags, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each new quarter is released. For more information about this ordering method, please visit www.usmint.gov. Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468). A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders. Quarter bags of 1,000 coins will have an additional charge of $7.95 per bag because of their weight and size.

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint announced today that it will begin selling the 2005 United States Mint Silver Proof Set online and by telephone on June 7, 2005, at 12:00 noon Eastern Time (ET).

The 2005 United States Mint Silver Proof Set features versions of the five 2005 commemorative quarter-dollar coins in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program - honoring California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas and West Virginia - as well as the Roosevelt dime and the Kennedy half-dollar, all minted in lustrous 90 percent silver (and 10 percent copper), historically known as “coin silver.” Each of these beautiful silver proof coins has a distinctive cameo appearance created by the contrast of a finely detailed frosted foreground against a mirror-like background.

The United States Mint Silver Proof Set also includes proof versions of the two new Jefferson 5-cent coin (nickel) designs – the “American Bison” and “Ocean in View” – which are part of the Westward Journey Nickel Series™ — as well as the Golden Dollar and the Lincoln cent.

Produced at the United States Mint at San Francisco, the coins bear the “S” mint mark. The sealed cases containing the coins are inserted into a specially printed sleeve and are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

Because demand for the 2005 United States Mint Silver Proof Set is expected to be high, customers are encouraged to place orders early. The 2005 United States Mint Silver Proof Set is available for $37.95.

Beginning June 7, 2005, at 12:00 noon Eastern Time (ET), customers can purchase the 2005 United States Mint Silver Proof Set online through the United States Mint’s secure website at www.usmint.gov, or by calling toll-free 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468) 8:00 a.m. to midnight ET, seven days a week. Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468) 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

As an added convenience, customers can participate in a Subscription Program in which specific products, such as the United States Mint Silver Proof Set, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each set is released. A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all orders. Please allow approximately three to four weeks for delivery.

Popular 22-Coin Set Makes History with New Satin Finish

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint announced today that it will begin selling the 2005 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set on May 31, 2005, at 12:00 noon (ET), and for the first time ever, the set will have a satin finish. The release for this set is three weeks earlier than in 2004, as part of the United States Mint’s commitment to making many of its products available earlier in the year, at the request of its customers.

The United States Mint has chosen the new satin finish because it is handsome and provides consistency for United States Mint uncirculated products, including the Uncirculated Coin Set, Commemorative Coins and American Eagle Silver Bullion (uncirculated) coins. The satin finish, which will be continued on uncirculated coin sets in the future, will also help collectors differentiate between Uncirculated Coins in the United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Sets and those coins in bags and rolls that have never circulated.

This year’s 22-coin United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set – available for $16.95 – includes versions of each 2005-dated circulating United States coin, bearing the Philadelphia ‘P’ and Denver ‘D’ mint mark: the Lincoln cent, the Jefferson “American Bison” and “Ocean in View” 5-cent coins (nickels) from the Westward Journey Nickel SeriesTM, the Roosevelt dime, the Kennedy half-dollar and the Golden Dollar (Note: the one-cent coin struck in Philadelphia does not bear a mint mark). The set also includes all five of the 2005-dated coins in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program – California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas and West Virginia. Each set is packaged in polyester film and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.

Customers can purchase the United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set through the United States Mint’s secure website at www.usmint.gov, or by calling toll-free 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468) 8:00 a.m. to midnight (ET), seven days a week. Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468) 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday. Also, orders may be mailed to the United States Mint, P.O. Box 382601, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-8601.

As an added convenience, customers can participate in a Subscription Program in which specific products, such as the United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each set is released. A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all orders. Please allow approximately three to four weeks for delivery.

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint is celebrating National Coin Week (April 17-23) by reaching out to 31,000 Assistant Principals and 57,500 Librarians and Media Specialists nationwide with information about the award-winning United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ Web site. This colorful Web site offers free educational resources for teachers, parents and students at www.usmint.gov/kids.

The site will also be featured in airport displays nationwide, promoting the interactive activities and games that have made the students’ site popular with professional educators, families and children across America.

An additional 20 million people will receive information about the H.I.P. Pocket Change site on the back of IRS income tax refund check envelopes.

When educators and families access the H.I.P. Pocket Change site, they will be greeted with these enhancements:

The Time Machine, one of H.I.P. Pocket Change’s most popular features, is being updated and expanded.

The Time Machine touches on 12 major eras in American history and some of the coins in use at the time of those events, to give students a historical perspective on the coinage.

The first four eras launched in 2004: the Colonial era (1667), the Revolutionary War era (1778), the Lewis and Clark era (1805), and the War of 1812 era (1814).

The fifth and sixth eras are scheduled to debut in 2005: the Gold Rush era (1859) and the Civil War era (1863).

Each era includes a story, several activities, and a “Want to Know More?” section with related historical material and links.

One of H.I.P. Pocket Change’s newest games is actually five games in one: The Lewis and Clark Adventure. The games follow the famous explorers’ trail, tying directly to the activities carried out by the Corps of Discovery in fulfilling its mission.

Inspector Collector’s Coin Course is a comprehensive course in coin collecting, and is packed with great information about the king of hobbies and fun activities to test what students have learned.

Additional lesson plans based on the Westward Journey Nickel Series™, which launched in March 2004, have been downloaded over 70,000 times to date.

For each new nickel released between 2004 and 2006, the United States Mint will release a new set of plans for grades K–6. For each year of this new coin series, the United States Mint will also release additional lessons for teachers in grades 7–12 as well as a resource guide for teachers of all grades. These lesson plans, like the new coins, are designed to expand your students’ knowledge about the Louisiana Purchase and the journey of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery.

The “State Quarter Day in the Classroom” feature provides a page of activities and links for each new quarter two weeks before it is released, including a state-specific trivia game and a WebQuest. In addition to being available on the Internet, these materials are sent to the Governor’s office, and are often distributed to local teachers; the teachers can then introduce the new coin to students and support the educational outreach at the quarter’s release celebration.

The 50 State Quarters Program lesson plans are free of charge to the American public and are designed for teachers of grades K through 12 across the nation, and can be downloaded from www.usmint.gov/kids.

February 2005 was a record month for the United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change Web site, as it reached the 2 million lesson plan download mark for the free 50 State Quarter® Program lesson plans. Total visits to the site also reached a record level, with a total of 203,817 visits during February – a 60% increase from last February – as the new American Bison nickel lesson plans and kindergarten to 12th grade resource guide were released. During March, the site netted a record 19,679 new nickel lesson plan downloads, up 88% from last March, and 82,174 50 State Quarters Program lesson plans, up 106% from last March.

ST. PAUL, MN - United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore, Governor Tim Pawlenty, state celebrities and thousands of Minnesotans gathered today at the State Capitol to launch the Minnesota commemorative quarter-dollar coin, celebrating the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” The reverse design on the new quarter depicts a tree-lined lake with two people fishing, a loon on the water, and a textured outline of the State surrounding its nickname, “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” The second quarter to be released in 2005, it is the 32nd coin to be issued in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters® Program.

“The images on your quarter beckon us to Minnesota” Director Fore told the crowd. “We see a loon gliding on a tree-lined lake as two friends fish nearby. This is the first 50 States Quarter that celebrates fishing, and many of us would like to be in that little boat, baiting our hooks, listening to the haunting call of the loon.”

Joining Director Fore and Governor Pawlenty were Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau, Minnesota Secretary of State Mary E. Kiffmeyer, Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren, TV star Ron Schara, Minnesota Twins Great Kent Hrbek and Minnesota Vikings Great Ed McDaniel. Following the launch ceremony, coin collectors of all ages exchanged their dollar bills for rolls of Minnesota quarters.

The Lakeville High School Band, the Nativez Inc. drummers and the Minnesota Boys Choir provided the entertainment. Attractions for school children included history, science, math, and reading-oriented learning activities and a play about the importance of saving money. On the eve of the Minnesota quarter launch ceremony, Director Fore hosted a Coin Collectors Forum to discuss what the American people would like to see in their coinage.

In selecting the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” design, Governor Pawlenty chose the design recommended to him by the Minnesota State Quarter Dollar Commission. Other designs considered were the “State with Symbols,” including a snowflake, loon and plow; “Mississippi River Headwaters;” and the “Fisherman/Lake Recreation” theme.

Lesson plans about the Minnesota Quarter, the 50 State Quarters Program, and the Westward Journey Nickel Series™, may be downloaded free from the United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ website at http://www.usmint.gov/kids. Teachers, parents and students can also explore the many other teaching aids, and the games, puzzles and stories for kids that show how coins are “history in your pocket.”

The Minnesota quarter is available in two-roll sets (40 coins per roll), including one roll each from the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins, at the United States Mint website at www.usmint.gov. The two-roll sets are $32.00, bags of 100 coins are $35.50, and bags of 1,000 coins are $300.00.

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint today announced that the limited edition of 50,000 Minnesota Official First Day Coin Covers will be available online at www.usmint.gov, beginning at noon (ET) on April 25, 2005.

Priced at $19.95, the Minnesota Official First Day Coin Cover features two Minnesota commemorative quarter-dollar coins – one each bearing a mint mark from the United States Mint facilities at Philadelphia and Denver.

Struck on March 14, 2005, the first day of mintage, the quarter-dollar coins are mounted on a handsome display card with a cancelled 37-cent United States Flag postage stamp. `The postmark of “April 4, 2005, Lake City, Minnesota” marks the day the Minnesota quarter-dollars were first released to the Federal Reserve Bank and to the public.

On May 11, 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state admitted into the Union, and as such, it is the 32nd coin to be issued in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters® Program. The reverse design features a tree-lined lake with two people fishing, a loon on the water, and a textured outline of the State surrounding its nickname, “Land of 10,000 Lakes.”

Honoring the states in the order that they ratified the Constitution or were admitted into the Union, five 50 State Quarters designs will be issued each year from 1999 through 2008, at approximately 10-week intervals.

Customers can purchase the Minnesota Official First Day Coin Covers online through the United States Mint’s secure website at www.usmint.gov, or by calling toll-free 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468) 8:00 a.m. to midnight (ET), seven days a week. Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468) 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday.

As an added convenience, customers can participate in a Subscription Program in which specific products, such as Official First Day Coin Covers, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each new quarter-dollar is released. A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all orders. Please allow approximately three to four weeks for delivery.

United States Mint Director and Governor to Launch Minnesota State Quarter

Join United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore, Governor Tim Pawlenty, celebrities and school children from throughout the State as they officially launch the Minnesota quarter at the State Capitol Building in St. Paul on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 at 11:25 a.m. (as in 25 cents). A quarter exchange will follow the event in which the public may exchange their ten-dollar bills for rolls of shiny, new Minnesota state quarters. Each child will receive a free Minnesota quarter.

On the eve of the Minnesota Quarter Launch, United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore will also host a Coin Collectors Forum from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. to discuss what the American people would like to see in their coinage. The public and news media are welcome.

The Minnesota quarter-dollar commemorative coin is the second state quarter released in 2005. On May 11, 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state admitted into the Union, and as such, it is the 32nd coin to be issued in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters® Program. The design features a tree-lined lake with two people fishing, a loon on the water, and a textured outline of the State surrounding its nickname, “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” Free lesson plans may be downloaded at www.usmint.gov.

WHAT: Minnesota Quarter Launch & Quarter Exchange, Tuesday, April 12

Coin Collectors Forum Monday Night, April 11 hosted by United States Mint Director Fore

WHO:United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty

Minnesota Lt. Governor Carol Molnau

Minnesota Secretary of State Mary E. Kiffmeyer

Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren, Chair of Minnesota Quarter Dollar Commission

Master of Ceremonies Ron Schara

Minnesota Twins Great Kent Hrbek

Minnesota Vikings Great Ed McDaniel Nativez Inc.

The Lakeville High School Band

The Minnesota Boys Choir

WHEN: Minnesota Quarter Launch: Tuesday, April 12, 2005, 11:25 a.m. (CT)

Coin Collectors Forum: Monday, April 11, 2005, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. (CT)

WHERE: Minnesota Quarter Launch: State Capitol Building, South Side

Coin Collectors Forum: Minnesota Department of Education, 1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville, MN, Conference Center B, Room CC 15

For a digital image of the Minnesota quarter:http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=photo#50state

VIDEO AVAILABLE

Satellite Feed of B-Roll of Minnesota State Quarter Launch

Satellite feed date: April 12, 2005; Feed time: 3:30 PM-4:00 PM; IA5; Transponder 5; DL 3800V

April 13, 2005; Feed Time: 1:00 PM-1:15 PM; IA6; Transponder 16; DL 4020H

This b-roll produced by the United States Mint will contain: 1.Minting of Minnesota quarter 2. Scenes from launch event at the State Capitol in St. Paul 3. Sound bites of officials from the event, launching the new Minnesota quarter.

WASHINGTON — The United States Mint announced today that commemorative quarter-dollar coins honoring Minnesota, the second coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program to be released in 2005, will go on sale beginning April 4, 2005, at 12:00 noon (ET), and will be available for purchase during the 10-week release period. The Minnesota quarter-dollars are available in two-roll sets (40 coins per roll), including one roll each from the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins.

On May 11, 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state to be admitted into the Union, and the Minnesota commemorative quarter is the 32nd coin to be issued in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters Program. The reverse design features a tree-lined lake with two people fishing, a loon on the water, and a textured outline of the State surrounding its nickname, “Land of 10,000 Lakes.”

The “Land of 10,000 Lakes” actually contains more than 15,000 such bodies of water with total shoreline exceeding 90,000 miles – more than California, Hawaii and Florida combined. Equally renowned as the home of the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River, the name Minnesota is derived from the Dakota Sioux word for “cloudy water.”

Each coin roll in the two-roll set is wrapped in a specially designed United States Mint paper coin wrap that prominently displays the 50 State Quarters Program logo, a “P” or “D” representing the roll’s mint of origin, “MN” designating the State of Minnesota, and “$10” representing its dollar value. Two-roll sets will sell for $32.00, bags of 100 coins for $35.50, and bags of 1,000 coins for $300.00. Each bag is marked with the mint of origin and the dollar value of its contents ($25.00 or $250.00). These two-roll sets and bags feature quarters used in regular transactions and are struck on our main production floors at the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver. There is no order limit on these products.

Customers can purchase the Minnesota quarter-dollars in two-roll sets and bags by using the United States Mint’s secure website, www.usmint.gov, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). As an added convenience, customers can participate in a subscription-ordering program in which specific products, such as two-roll sets and bags, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each new quarter is released. For more information about this ordering method, please visit www.usmint.gov. Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468). A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders. Quarter bags of 1,000 coins will have an additional charge of $7.95 per bag because of their weight and size.