State-Quarter.com

The Louisiana Quarter Meets the French Quarter

New Orleans, Louisiana – Governor M. J. “Mike” Foster, Jr. today joined United States Treasurer Rosario Marin and United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore at the New Orleans Mint Museum in New Orleans to unveil the Louisiana commemorative quarter-dollar coin, the 18th under the 50 State Quarters® Program. The launch ceremony featured remarks from noted Louisianians, including William Arceneaux, President of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, former pro football player and outdoor sports commentator Bert Jones, and historian Nick Spitzer.

Following the launch event, Director Fore attended a collectors’ forum at which she fielded questions from coin collectors and dealers on a number of issues of interest to the numismatic hobby.

Louisiana joined the Union on April 30, 1812, becoming the 18th state. The Louisiana quarter design incorporates the image of a brown pelican, a trumpet with musical notes, and the outline of the Louisiana Purchase territory, with the inscription “Louisiana Purchase.” Louisiana’s nickname, the “Pelican State,” honors the state bird – the brown pelican – which is indigenous to Louisiana. The trumpet and musical notes represent the birth of jazz in New Orleans. The coin’s third element, the outline of the Louisiana Purchase territory, refers to the largest single expansion of the United States, which roughly doubled the size of the country in 1803.

“Today we celebrate Louisiana’s impact on the history, heritage and culture of this great nation,” said Director Fore. “How fitting that the historic New Orleans Mint, which first struck gold coins in 1838, now plays host to Louisiana’s very own coin – the Louisiana quarter.” She added that Louisianians should be proud of this coin and the place it now takes as the 18th state in the 50 State Quarters Program.

“The launch of the Louisiana quarter is one of those moments that makes me proud of Louisiana,” said Governor Foster. “It was a long process, but one that involved the citizens of this state, by asking for their help in designing the quarter. The final design shows the best of Louisiana’s treasures; its music, its heritage of conservation and the Louisiana Purchase.”

Governor Foster established the Louisiana Commemorative Coin Advisory Commission, which solicited design concepts from all Louisiana residents, encouraging school children’s participation. The Commission’s Official Rules state that the final design must be “…easily understood by both the youth of the state of Louisiana and the youth of other states.” Of the 1,193 submissions the Commission received, a large majority came from school children. After consulting with the Commission, Governor Foster submitted five design concepts to the United States Mint, including the brown pelican, the Louisiana Purchase territory, a riverboat, and the Cabildo. U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill approved the final design.

The Louisiana quarter, officially released to the Federal Reserve Bank on May 20, marked the end of the Ohio quarter 10-week release period, which began in March 2002. The quarters are manufactured at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints, which produce all U.S. circulating coins and ships them to the Federal Reserve Bank for distribution to the nation’s banks.

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 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.

The 50 State Quarters products, including the popular collectible proof sets featuring the five state quarters of each year, are available on our website, www.usmint.gov, and by calling 1-800-USA-MINT. Other products include spoons, key fobs, bookmarks, golf divot tools and pendants. Watches and desk clocks featuring the Louisiana state quarter will be available later this spring.

Created by Congress in 1792, the United States Mint is a manufacturing and international marketing enterprise with $2.4 billion in annual revenue and about 2,400 employees. In FY 2001, the United States Mint produced approximately 24 billion coins, fulfilling its primary mission to produce an adequate supply of circulating coinage for the nation’s commerce. For more information, please visit www.usmint.gov.

The Louisiana Quarter Meets the French Quarter

New Orleans, Louisiana – Governor M. J. “Mike” Foster, Jr. today joined United States Treasurer Rosario Marin and United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore at the New Orleans Mint Museum in New Orleans to unveil the Louisiana commemorative quarter-dollar coin, the 18th under the 50 State Quarters® Program. The launch ceremony featured remarks from noted Louisianians, including William Arceneaux, President of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, former pro football player and outdoor sports commentator Bert Jones, and historian Nick Spitzer.

Following the launch event, Director Fore attended a collectors’ forum at which she fielded questions from coin collectors and dealers on a number of issues of interest to the numismatic hobby.

Louisiana joined the Union on April 30, 1812, becoming the 18th state. The Louisiana quarter design incorporates the image of a brown pelican, a trumpet with musical notes, and the outline of the Louisiana Purchase territory, with the inscription “Louisiana Purchase.” Louisiana’s nickname, the “Pelican State,” honors the state bird – the brown pelican – which is indigenous to Louisiana. The trumpet and musical notes represent the birth of jazz in New Orleans. The coin’s third element, the outline of the Louisiana Purchase territory, refers to the largest single expansion of the United States, which roughly doubled the size of the country in 1803.

“Today we celebrate Louisiana’s impact on the history, heritage and culture of this great nation,” said Director Fore. “How fitting that the historic New Orleans Mint, which first struck gold coins in 1838, now plays host to Louisiana’s very own coin – the Louisiana quarter.” She added that Louisianians should be proud of this coin and the place it now takes as the 18th state in the 50 State Quarters Program.

“The launch of the Louisiana quarter is one of those moments that makes me proud of Louisiana,” said Governor Foster. “It was a long process, but one that involved the citizens of this state, by asking for their help in designing the quarter. The final design shows the best of Louisiana’s treasures; its music, its heritage of conservation and the Louisiana Purchase.”

Governor Foster established the Louisiana Commemorative Coin Advisory Commission, which solicited design concepts from all Louisiana residents, encouraging school children’s participation. The Commission’s Official Rules state that the final design must be “…easily understood by both the youth of the state of Louisiana and the youth of other states.” Of the 1,193 submissions the Commission received, a large majority came from school children. After consulting with the Commission, Governor Foster submitted five design concepts to the United States Mint, including the brown pelican, the Louisiana Purchase territory, a riverboat, and the Cabildo. U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill approved the final design.

The Louisiana quarter, officially released to the Federal Reserve Bank on May 20, marked the end of the Ohio quarter 10-week release period, which began in March 2002. The quarters are manufactured at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints, which produce all U.S. circulating coins and ships them to the Federal Reserve Bank for distribution to the nation’s banks.

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 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.

The 50 State Quarters products, including the popular collectible proof sets featuring the five state quarters of each year, are available on our website, www.usmint.gov, and by calling 1-800-USA-MINT. Other products include spoons, key fobs, bookmarks, golf divot tools and pendants. Watches and desk clocks featuring the Louisiana state quarter will be available later this spring.

Created by Congress in 1792, the United States Mint is a manufacturing and international marketing enterprise with $2.4 billion in annual revenue and about 2,400 employees. In FY 2001, the United States Mint produced approximately 24 billion coins, fulfilling its primary mission to produce an adequate supply of circulating coinage for the nation’s commerce. For more information, please visit www.usmint.gov.

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint today announced that the limited edition of 75,000 Louisiana Official First Day Coin Covers will be available online at www.usmint.gov beginning 12:00 noon E.D.T. on June 10, 2002. The Louisiana Official First Day Coin Cover features two Louisiana quarters from May 6, 2002, the first day of mintage.

Priced at $19.95, the Louisiana Official First Day Coin Cover includes quarters from both the Philadelphia and Denver Mint facilities on a handsome display card with a 34-cent United We Stand postage stamp.

The postmark of “May 20, 2002, New Orleans, LA 70113” indicates the day Louisiana quarters were released to the Federal Reserve Bank and the public. The Louisiana quarter is the 18th in the 50 State Quarters® Program that honors each of the states in the order they entered the union. Five state designs will be issued each year through 2008 at approximately 10-week intervals.

Louisiana’s state quarter design features the image of a brown pelican, Louisiana’s state bird, as well as a trumpet and musical notes to celebrate jazz and the outline of the Louisiana Purchase territory. The coin also displays the inscription “Louisiana Purchase.”

Customers can purchase the Louisiana Official First Day Coin Covers two ways: First, they can use the United States Mint’s secure website, www.usmint.gov; second, they can call 1-800-USA-MINT.

As an added convenience, customers may order future Official First Day Coin Covers online through the United States Mint’s subscription program. For more information about this convenient ordering method, please visit http://www.usmint.gov

A shipping and handling fee of $3.95 will be added to all orders for these products. Hearing and speech impaired customers may order by calling (888) 321-MINT (TTY). Please allow approximately 3 to 4 weeks for delivery.

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint announced today that it will begin selling the latest addition to it product line – the limited-edition The 50 State Quarters® & Euro Coin Collection – by phone, mail and online at www.USMINT.gov on June 12, 2002, at noon (EST).

“2002 will long be remembered as the year the euros replaced twelve sovereign European nation’s national currencies,” said United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore. “Unfortunately, many here in the United States have never seen these beautiful new euro coins –until now. Through The 50 State Quarters® & Euro Coin Collection, Americans will be able to see and learn about the latest additions to the world’s numismatic family in one educational and comprehensive set.”

Each of The 50 State Quarters® & Euro Coin Collection set will feature the five 50 State Quarters scheduled for release in 2002 – Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, and Mississippi – in uncirculated condition with a Denver mint mark, together with 12 one-euro coins – one from each of the original participating European Union nations – Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. The euros are of uncirculated quality and the dates may vary.

This new collection will sell for $49.95. Production is limited to 100,000 sets. Due to expected high demand, there will be a limit of 20 sets per order.

The 50 State Quarters® & Euro Coin Collection can be purchased three ways: First, they can be purchased online using the United States Mint’s secure website at http://www.usmint.gov/ Second, they can call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Third, mail orders may be sent to United States Mint, P.O. Box 382601, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-8601. A shipping and handling fee of $3.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders. Hearing and speech impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468) (TTY). Please allow approximately four to six weeks for delivery.

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint announced today that quarters honoring Louisiana, the third coin under the 50 State Quarters® Program to be struck for the year 2002, will go on sale beginning May 20, 2002, at 12:00 noon (EDT), and will be available for purchase the entire 10-week release period. The Louisiana quarters are available in two-roll sets (40 coins per roll), including one Philadelphia and Denver Mint Mark coin roll each, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins. The Louisiana quarters are also available as part of the Mint’s popular subscription program. The 50 State Quarters collectibles featuring the Louisiana state quarter will go on sale beginning May 30, 2002.

Louisiana joined the Union on April 30, 1812, becoming the 18th state. The Louisiana quarter’s reverse design honors the Louisiana Purchase, which President Thomas Jefferson acquired for $15 million from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803. Eventually, 13 new states would be carved out of the territory, which nearly doubled the young nation’s size, making it one of the largest countries in the world.

The coin’s reverse design also features a pelican, the state bird of the “Sportsman’s Paradise,” and a horn as a tribute to the state’s heritage of jazz music. Each coin roll 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, “LA” designating the state of Louisiana, and “$10” representing its dollar value.

Each bag is marked with the Mint of origin and the dollar value of its contents ($25 or $250). Two roll sets will sell for $32.00, bags of 100 coins for $35.50, and bags of 1,000 coins for $300. These rolls and bags, featuring quarters used in regular transactions and struck on our main production floors at the Philadelphia and Denver Mint facilities, will be shipped directly to you from the United States Mint. Note that there are no order limits on these products.

In addition, the Mint’s popular 50 State Quarter gift items featuring the Louisiana quarter become available May 30, including the 2002 Louisiana Collector’s Spoon, with the Louisiana quarter mounted at the top of the handle and “LOUISIANA” spelled out in block lettering down the 4-and-1/2-inch stem.

Other items showcasing the Louisiana quarter include the black leather fob and the key ring; the Louisiana Quarter sterling silver bookmark, the nickel-plated Louisiana quarter golf divot tool, and the Louisiana quarter pendant and sterling silver rope chain. Wristwatches and desk clocks featuring the Louisiana quarter will be available later this summer.

Customers can purchase the Louisiana quarter bags and rolls and Louisiana quarter collectibles by using the Mint’s secure website at http://www.usmint.gov, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (6468).

As an added convenience, customers may participate in a subscription-ordering program where specific products, such as quarter bags and rolls, 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 phone and fax orders. Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468) (TTY). Please allow approximately 2-3 weeks for delivery.