State-Quarter.com

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint today announced that the limited edition of 75,000 Illinois Official First Day Coin Covers will be available online at www.usmint.gov beginning 12:00 noon (E.S.T.) on January 27, 2003. The Illinois Official First Day Coin Cover, which also is available through the United States Mint’s subscription program, features two Illinois quarters from December 9, 2002, the first day of mintage.

Priced at $19.95, the Illinois Official First Day Coin Cover includes quarters from both the Philadelphia and Denver Mint facilities on a handsome display card with a 37-cent United States Flag postage stamp.

The postmark of “January 2, 2003, Lincoln Station, Lincoln, IL 62656” indicates the day Illinois quarters were released to the Federal Reserve Bank and the public. The Illinois quarter is the 21st in the 50 State Quartersâ Program, which honors each of the states in the order that it ratified the Constitution or was admitted into the Union. Five state designs will be issued each year through 2008 at approximately 10-week intervals.

The Illinois quarter’s reverse design depicts a young Abraham Lincoln within the outline of the state. A farm scene appears on the left of the outline of the state and the Chicago skyline is on the right of the outline. Twenty-one stars border the coin, signifying Illinois as the 21st state to be admitted into the Union on December 3, 1818.

Customers can purchase the Illinois Official First Day Coin Covers 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 Official First Day Coin Covers, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each new state quarter is released. A shipping and handling fee of $3.95 per order will be added to all orders. Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468) (TTY). Please allow approximately 3 to 4 weeks for delivery.

Popular State Quarters Paired with Popular State Stamps

United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore today joined United States Postal Service Chief Marketing Officer Anita Bizzotto and ‘Miss America’ Erika Harold in the main rotunda of the Mall of America to unveil the 50 State Quarters® Greetings from America Series.

“The United States Mint and the Postal Service are pleased to debut this genuine American product,” said United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore. “The coin and stamp series represents the history of a proud nation, rich in culture, diversity and enduring values.”

Hundreds of shoppers and collectors witnessed the unveiling of the 50 State Quarters Greetings from America Portfolios and State Cards. Following the ceremony, dignitaries signed autographs on special event cards.

“The Postal Service is proud to join the United States Mint in the introduction of this fun and educational program,” said Bizzotto. “Bringing together the Greetings from America postage stamps and the 50 State Quarters Program is sure to be a hit with all Americans.”

In August, the United States Mint and the Postal Service signed an agreement to develop and market products that combine two of America’s most popular collectibles - the 50 State Quarters Program and the Greetings from America stamps. The new products will be available for sale through the United States Mint website, www.usmint.gov, by ordering toll free at 1-800-USA-MINT.

Launched in 1999, the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program is a 10-year initiative that honors each of the nation’s states in the order that they were admitted into the Union. Each quarter is produced for about 10 weeks and will never be produced again. Surveys show that over 139 million adults are collecting the quarters.

Created by Congress in 1792, the United States Mint is the manufacturer of legal tender coinage for the United States. In fiscal year 2002, the United States Mint manufactured approximately 15 billion coins and generated revenue of $1.8 billion.

With facilities in five states and the District of Columbia, the United States Mint has customers in 54 countries and is the world’s 30th largest e-retailer. For more information, please visit www.usmint.gov.

Popular 50 State Quarters Program Honors ‘Prairie State’

United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore joined First Lady Lura Lynn Ryan today at the James R. Thompson Center to unveil the Illinois State quarter, the 21st in the 50 State Quarters® Program.

“The Illinois quarter sends a powerful message,” said Director Fore. “It highlights how the state’s agricultural traditions and business and financial climate - all the things that make Illinois a major hub of international commerce - rest on Lincoln’s legacy of integrity and hard work.”

Illinois was admitted into the Union on Dec. 3, 1818, becoming the 21st state. The Illinois quarter design depicts a young Abraham Lincoln within the outline of the state. A farm scene and the Chicago skyline appear on opposite sides of the outline. The design also contains 21 stars and bears the inscriptions “21st State/Century” and “Land Of Lincoln.”

The Illinois state quarter is the third U.S. coin to feature Lincoln but the first to feature him as a young man. The other two are the current circulating one-cent coin and a commemorative Illinois Centennial Half Dollar of 1918. The image of young Lincoln featured on the quarter is based on a sculpture by Avard Fairbanks titled “The Resolute Lincoln.”

Governor George Ryan created the Governor’s Classroom Contest to solicit ideas from school children about the coin’s design. The Governor’s office received more than 6,000 submissions, of which nearly 5,700 were from students. A 14-member committee was convened to review the submissions, and to suggest three to five concepts to be forwarded to the United States Mint.

The United States Mint officially released the Illinois quarter to the Federal Reserve Bank on January 2, 2003.

Monday’s launch ceremony featured remarks from noted Illinoisans, including actor/screenwriter Harold Ramis, State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, State Historian Dr. Tom Schwartz and State FFA President Jay Kelley. The event also included music from the Lake Bluff Middle School Choir and rising Springfield singing star Clayton Ann Joyner, age 12.

50 State Quarters products, including the popular collectible proof sets featuring the five state quarters of each year, are available on the website, www.usmint.gov, and by calling 1-800-USA-MINT.

Launched in 1999, the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program is a 10-year initiative that honors each of the states in the order that they were admitted into the Union. Each quarter is produced for about 10 weeks and will never be produced again. Surveys show that over 139 million adults are collecting the quarters, of which five are released in any given year.

Created by Congress in 1792, the United States Mint is the manufacturer of legal tender coinage for the United States. In fiscal year 2002, the United States Mint manufactured approximately 15 billion coins and generated revenue of $1.8 billion. With facilities in five states and the District of Columbia, the United States Mint has customers in 54 countries and is the world’s 30th largest e-retailer.

Popular 50 State Quarters® Paired with Popular State Stamps

The United States Mint today announced a joint product venture with the United States Postal Service for a coin and stamp series. The 50 State Quarters® Greetings from America Series will combine the popular 50 State Quarters and the celebrated Greetings from America stamps.

“We think these products will be very popular because they bring two of the most sought-after collectibles together for numismatists and philatelists alike,” said United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore. “As millions already know, coin collecting and stamp collecting are hobbies that celebrate our history, heritage and national character.”

The 50 State Quarters Greetings from America Portfolio - available for $29.99 each - consists of five circulating quality state quarters and five corresponding state stamps in a portfolio, with a matching slipcase that includes a certificate of authenticity signed by Director Fore and Postmaster General Jack Potter.

Baseball card-sized 50 State Quarters Greetings from America State Cards are also available. The state cards consist of one circulating quality state quarter and the corresponding state stamp. They can be purchased in a set that includes all five from a given year for $27.99 from the United States Mint.

The new products will be available for sale through the United States Mint website www.usmint.gov, toll-free ordering at 1-800-USA-MINT, and through the United States Postal Service website www.usps.com/shop or 1-800-STAMP-24.

The 2002 portfolios and cards are now available. Later this year, customers will be able to purchase portfolios and state cards featuring the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003 state quarters with their corresponding stamps. The remaining years of the 50 State Quarters Program - 2004 through 2008 - will be available annually.

A release celebration will be held on January 10, 2003, at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. Miss America Erika Harold, Director Fore and USPS Chief Marketing Officer Anita Bizzotto all will be on hand for the unveiling and to sign autographs. The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. CST in the main rotunda.

Launched in 1999, the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program is a 10-year initiative that honors each of the states in the order that they joined the Union. Each quarter is produced for about 10 weeks and will never be produced again. Surveys show that over 139 million adults are collecting the quarters, of which five are released in any given year.

Created by Congress in 1792, the United States Mint is the manufacturer of legal tender coinage for the United States. In fiscal year 2002, the United States Mint manufactured approximately 15 billion coins and generated revenue of $1.8 billion. With facilities in five states and the District of Columbia, the United States Mint has customers in 54 countries and is the world’s 30th largest e-retailer. For more information, please visit www.usmint.gov.