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Washington, D.C., June 19, 2000 — The U.S. Mint today announced that a limited edition of 75,000 South Carolina Official Commemorative Coin Covers featuring two South Carolina quarters from the first day of mintage — May 8, 2000 — will be available through its online catalog at www.USMINT.gov. On June 26, at 12:00 Noon, Eastern Time, the Mint will begin sales of the first Official Commemorative Coin Cover featuring the South Carolina quarter.

“We are especially excited to present the South Carolina Official Commemorative Coin Cover as the next 50 State Quarters™ Official Commemorative Cover in the series for sale,” said U.S. Mint Director Jay W. Johnson. “The American public is not only increasingly aware of the 50 State Quarters Program, but is eagerly searching out the latest new quarter. Each coin builds interest in coins as tangible artifacts of history and art, in addition to encouraging all ages, especially young people, to build their own coin collections.”

“The continued popularity of the commemorative coin covers reflects our increased focus of developing new and exciting official Mint collectibles for our customer!” said Associate Director of Numismatics David Pickens.

Priced at $19.95, the South Carolina Official Commemorative Coin Cover includes quarters from both the Philadelphia and Denver facilities on a handsome display card with the 33-cent Flag-Over-City postage stamp. The postmark of “May 22, 2000, Columbia, South Carolina” marks the day the South Carolina quarters were first released to the Federal Reserve and the public - certifying this limited edition and honoring “The Palmetto State.”

The reverse design of the South Carolina quarter features the Carolina Wren (the state bird), the Yellow Jessamine (the state flower), and the Palmetto (the state tree). The significance of the Palmetto tree dates back to the Revolutionary War when colonists used a fort made of Palmetto logs to successfully defeat the British fleet trying to capture Charleston Harbor. An outline of South Carolina and a star indicating the capital, Columbia, form the quarter’s background.

The South Carolina quarters are the eighth coins of the 50 State Quarters™ Program that will honor 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 order the South Carolina Official Commemorative Coin Cover directly online via the U.S. Mint secure web server at www.usmint.gov and pay no additional shipping and handling charges. Customers who prefer to fax their orders may download an order form at the web site and fax it to (301) 344-4150, and customers also may order by telephone by calling 1-800-USA-MINT. Mail orders to U.S. Mint, Customer Care Center, Lanham, MD 20706-4331 Attention: Order Processing. (Telephone, fax, and mail orders incur shipping and handling fee of $3.95 per order.) Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 301-344-4144. Please allow approximately 6-8 weeks for delivery.

Launch of South Carolina Quarters Marks Midpoint of Year Two for Popular 50 State Quarters™ Programs

COLUMBIA, S.C. — U.S. Treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow today joined South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges and officials from the U.S.Mint for the unveiling of the newest design in the 50 State Quarters™ Program, honoring South Carolina. The U.S. Mint has begun shipping the South Carolina quarters to Federal Reserve banks for distribution to commercial banks and financial institutions, and will produce more than one billion of the new quarters to keep pace with the public demand for new quarters.

The South Carolina quarter was launched at a celebration at the Dutch Fork Elementary School, where Governor Jim Hodges presented new quarters to the students at the school to show his appreciation for their participation.

“Many of the ideas for the South Carolina quarter design came from elementary students who are enthusiastic about our nation’s culture and history,” said U.S. Treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow. “Our goal is to educate the American people about their heritage and get them excited about collecting.”

The South Carolina quarter depicts the Carolina Wren, the state bird, and the Yellow Jessamine, the state flower and the state Palmetto tree. The importance of the Palmetto Tree dates back to Revolutionary war when colonists used a fort made of Palmetto logs to successfully defeat a British fleet trying to capture Charleston Harbor. Since then, South Carolina has been called “The Palmetto State.”

“These state emblems symbolize what is best about South Carolina,” said Governor Hodges. “The Palmetto Tree represents our strength. The song of the Carolina Wren symbolizes the hospitality of our people. And the Yellow Jessamine flower is part of the vast natural beauty of our state.”

Legislation signed by the President in late 1997 authorized the Mint to honor the 50 states in the order they entered the Union or ratified the Constitution by producing five quarters each year from 1999 through 2008 with reverse designs celebrating the heritage of each state. The design process for each quarter is determined within each state by the Governor before design concepts are sent to the Mint, and then returned to the states for final selection. Approval of the final design rests with the Treasury Secretary. The well-known “Eagle” reverse quarter is scheduled to resume in 2009.

The 50 State Quarters are manufactured at both the Philadelphia and Denver Mints, which produce all legal tender, U.S. circulating coins, before being shipped to the Federal Reserve for distribution through the banking system. The Federal Reserve orders new quarters to ensure an adequate supply to meet the needs of commerce as commercial banks demand.

For further information on the 50 State Quarters Program and how to collect the new quarters, visit the Mint’s web site at www.usmint.gov.

Free Shipping & Handling for Online Orders on the U.S. Mint Web Site –

Washington, D.C. – May 17, 2000. The U.S. Mint today announced that the new South Carolina Quarter under the 50 State Quarters Program will be available online at www.USMINT.gov beginning Wednesday, May 24 at 12:00 Noon (Eastern Time) for a 72-hour sales period and ending at 12:00 Noon (Eastern Time) on Saturday, May 27.

“As South Carolina’s quarter, the eighth coin in the 50 State Quarters Program is made available, we continue to see the popularity and genuine interest of the commemorative quarters being collected by the American people,” said Acting Director John P. Mitchell. “This was evidenced by the sell-out of the Maryland quarter bags in less than two hours in April. Therefore, the Mint will institute a 72-hours sales period, without limits, for the South Carolina quarter bags. The Mint will accept and fulfill all orders received during this time period.”

“We believe the purchase period without limits better responds to the needs of our Customers, and allows everyone to participate in this exciting offer,” said Associate Director of Numismatics David Pickens.

The Maryland quarter bags pushed the Mint web site to its first multi-million dollar hour on April 3, with a total single hour sales reaching $2.7 million. The Maryland quarter bags went on sale at 9 a.m. By 11 a.m., both the 100-coin bags and 1,000-coin bags were sold out.

The South Carolina quarter features an intriguing group of symbols; the state’s geographical outline; its nickname, “The Palmetto State”; a palmetto tree; the Carolina Wren; an image of the Yellow Jessamine flower-the state’s flower; and a star indicating Columbia-the state capital.

The Mint-sewn bags feature South Carolina quarters struck on our main production floors in Philadelphia and Denver. Each bag is marked with the mint facility of origin and the dollar value of its contents ($25 or $250). These are the same coins that are shipped to the Federal Reserve for distribution in commerce. They will be shipped by the Mint directly to customers in 100-coin bags for $35.50 and in $1,000-coin bags for $300.00.

Customers may order the South Carolina quarters in bags directly online via the U.S. Mint secure web server at www.USMINT.gov and pay no additional shipping and handling charges. Customers who prefer to fax their orders may download an order form at the web site and fax it to (301) 344-4150, and customers also may order by telephone by calling 1-800-USA-MINT. (Telephone and fax orders incur a shipping and handling fee of $3.95 per order.) No mail orders will be accepted. Hearing and speech impaired customers may order by calling 301-344-4144. Please allow approximately 6-8 weeks for delivery.

Quarter Bags to be Offered for 72 Hours

Washington, D.C. - May 11, 2000. The U.S. Mint today announced that the new South Carolina Quarter under the 50 State QuartersÔ Program will be available online at www.USMINT.gov beginning Wednesday, May 24 at 12:00 Noon (Eastern Time) for a 72-hour sales period and ending at 12:00 Noon (Eastern Time) on Saturday, May 27.

“The overwhelming response by the American people to collect the 50 state quarters was witnessed by the sell-out of the Maryland quarter bags in less than two hours on April 3,” said Acting Director John P. Mitchell. “Therefore, the Mint will institute a 72-hours sales period to accept and fulfill all orders received during this time period.”

“We believe the 3-day purchase period without limits better responds to the needs of our Customers, and allows everyone to participate in this exciting offer,” said Associate Director of Numismatics David Pickens.

The Maryland quarter bags pushed the Mint web site to its first multi-million dollar hour on April 3, with total single hour sales reaching $2.7 million. The Maryland quarter bags went on sale at 9 a.m. By 11 a.m., both the 100-coin bags and 1,000-coin bags were sold out.

The South Carolina quarter design will be officially unveiled in a ceremony in Columbia, South Carolina on May 26. The South Carolina quarters will be available in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins. Look for details in an upcoming press release or check online at www.USMINT.gov.