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U.S. Mint’s “Legacy” Campaign honored with eight awards

Washington, DC, June 14, 2001 – The U.S. Mint announced today that its Legacy 50 State Quarters Program™ advertising campaign collected eight prestigious advertising industry awards. The U.S. Mint received three Aegis Awards, three Telly Awards and two awards at the recent WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.

“The campaign was already a complete success,” said Jay Johnson, Director of the U.S. Mint. “But to receive praise from the general public and industry experts on the Legacy campaign further compliments the U.S. Mint employees who make the 50 State Quarters Program™ and the Legacy campaign a success.”

The U.S. Mint’s 50 State Quarters advertising campaign debuted in October 2000, featuring the Legacy theme in which U.S. Mint employees promote the quarters honoring America’s states and their availability through both the U.S. Mint’s website at www.usmint.gov and through normal Federal Reserve distribution channels for circulating coinage. U.S. Mint employees were portrayed designing and producing the new quarters with a variety of traditional and cutting-edge technologies. The campaign included one 60-second spot; two 30-second spots; two 15-second spots; corresponding print advertisements; a video chronicling the production of the broadcast campaign titled “Making of Legacy”; and a specially-designed 60-second advertisement for the ABC Jumbotron screen in New York City’s Times Square district to celebrate the launch of the New York quarter.

“Our Legacy advertising campaign created a vehicle where U.S. Mint employees could speak to every American about the U.S. Mint’s legacy of craftsmanship and pride in creating our nation’s coinage,” said David Pickens, Associate Director of Numismatics and Director of Marketing.

The Aegis Awards recognized the Legacy campaign with three awards in the TV Commercial category –one for the 60-second spot and one for each of the two 30-second spots. The Aegis Awards are the video industry’s premier competition for peer recognition of outstanding video productions and non-network TV commercials. Directors and producers judge Aegis Award entries based on a complex formula that grades various elements of the production, such as shooting, editing and use of music. The composite score is then calculated taking the average of all the judges’ assessments.

The 21st annual Telly Awards lauded the U.S. Mint’s Legacy campaign by awarding the 60-second Legacy spot, the “Making of Legacy” video and the New York Quarter Jumbotron spot as winners. The Legacy advertisement prevailed in the regional TV and multi-market cable category; the “Making of Legacy” in the non-broadcast film/video category; and the New York Jumbotron in the miscellaneous category. Founded in 1980, the Tellys showcase and give recognition to outstanding non-network, cable, film and production work.

The WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival awarded two entries from the Legacy campaign. “The Making of Legacy” video won in the public relations category and the New York quarter Jumbotron spot took the honors in the local commercial category. Launched in 1968, WorldFest-Houston is dedicated to the independent feature and short film. Representative winners at past WorldFest festivals include the Coen brothers, Jonathan Demme, Brian De Palma, John Frankenheimer, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone and Robert Townsend.

Launched in 1999, the U.S. Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program™ is a 10-year initiative honoring each of the Nation’s states in the order that they joined the Union or ratified the Constitution. Each quarter is produced for only about 10 weeks, never to be produced again. U.S. Mint research shows that well over 125 million Americans are collecting the 50 State Quarters.

Washington Square Productions and Deno Seder Productions produced the television commercials in association with Hill and Knowlton’s Washington, D.C. office. More information about the 50 State Quarters Program™ is available through the U.S. Mint’s Web site at www.usmint.gov www.usmint.gov or by calling 1-800-USA MINT.

Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Mint today announced that a limited edition of 75,000 Rhode Island Official First Day Coin Covers will be available online at www.USMINT.gov. at 12:00 Noon (Eastern Time) on June 25, 2001. The Rhode Island Official First Day Coin Covers feature two Rhode Island quarters from the first day of mintage—May 7, 2001.

Priced at $19.95, the Rhode Island Official First Day Coin Cover includes quarters from both the Philadelphia and Denver Mint facilities on a handsome display card with the 34-cent Statue of Liberty postage stamp.

The postmark of “May 21, 2001, Providence, Rhode Island” marks the day that the Rhode Island quarters were first released to the Federal Reserve Bank and the public—certifying this limited edition and honoring America’s “Ocean State.” The coin’s design features a vintage sailboat gliding through Rhode Island’s famous Narragansett Bay, and an image of the Pell Bridge in the background, with the design showcasing Rhode Island’s most popular sport—sailing.

The Rhode Island quarter is the 13th coin of the 50 State Quarters™ Program that honors each of the 50 states in the order they entered the union. Five state designs will be issued each year through 2008 at approximately 10-week intervals.

Customers may purchase the Rhode Island Official First Day Coin Covers five ways: First, they can save shipping and handling charges by using the Mint’s secure web site www.USMINT.gov/catalog. Second, they can call 1-800-USA-MINT. Third, they may download an order form at the web site and fax it to (301) 344-4150. Fourth and fifth, you may request an order form from the U.S. Mint’s Customer Care Center at (202) 283-COIN, or download an order form at the web site, and mail it to the U.S. Mint, P.O. Box 382601, Pittsburgh, PA, 15250-8601 (Attention: Order Processing). A shipping and handling fee of $3.95 per order will be added to all fax, mail and telephone orders for these products. Hearing and speech impaired customers may order by calling (301) 344-4144 (TTY). Please allow approximately 3-4 weeks for delivery.

Includes Historic Narrative by President George W. Bush
Limited Edition Set Features Rare Archival Records

Washington, D.C., June 5, 2001 – The United States Mint announced today it will begin selling its limited-edition of Formation of the Union Set beginning June 13 and online at www.usmint.gov on June 18 at 12:00 Noon (Eastern Time). Only 50,000 of The Formation of the Union Sets will be produced.

This is the third product produced under the “Coin & Chronicles” partnership between the United States Mint and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Priced at $49.95, each set will contain the first thirteen quarters from the 50 State Quarters™ Program from both the Philadelphia and Denver mint facilities—26 in all—including all the difficult-to-find early quarters, as well as the latest issues.

As an exciting bonus, the set will include a special message from President George W. Bush, discussing the origin and the importance of the Latin phrase E Pluribus Unum, inscribed on all modern U.S. coinage. This is the first time in history a U.S. Mint product has included a message from the President of the United States.

“The history of our Nation is told through its coins, a concept that the 50 State Quarters™ Program has reinforced,” said David Pickens, Associate Director for Numismatics. “The Formation of the Union Set is a wonderful educational opportunity, and will delight both collectors and non-collectors.”

Incorporating photographs of many coins in circulation prior to the establishment of the U.S. Mint, plus fascinating images of rare historic archival records from NARA, The Formation of the Union Set tells the story of the pivotal years between 1774 and 1792, when 13 small separate colonies declared their independence from England, and joined a newly established Union.

Customers may order The Formation of the Union Set five ways: First, they can save shipping and handling charges by ordering online using the Mint’s secure web site at http://www.usmint.gov/catalog. Second, they may call 1-800-USA-MINT. Third, they may download a fax order form from the web site and fax it to (301) 918-2039. Fourth and fifth, customers may request an order form from the Mint Customer Care Center at (202) 283-COIN, or download an order form at the web site, and mail it to the United States Mint, P.O. Box 382601, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-8601 (Attention: Order Processing). A shipping and handling fee of $3.95 per order will be added to all telephone, mail, and fax orders for these products. Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling (301) 344﷓4144 TTY. Please allow approximately 6-8 weeks for delivery.