State-Quarter.com

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint today announced that the 2003 United States Mint 50 State Quarters® Proof Set will be released March 24, 2003, at 12 noon (E.S.T.). The set features proof versions of the 2003 quarters issued under the 50 State Quarters® Program — Illinois, Alabama, Maine, Missouri and Arkansas — sealed in a presentation case. The set will sell for $13.95.

Proof coins are manufactured at the San Francisco Mint facility using specially prepared, highly polished dies. Bearing the “S” mint mark, each coin is struck at least twice to ensure the finest detail in a frosted cameo image on a bright, mirror-like background. The sealed cases containing the coins are inserted into a specially printed sleeve and are accompanied by an official United States Mint Certificate of Authenticity.

There is no household order limit. Customers may order as many sets as they desire while supplies last. This product is also available through the United States Mint’s subscription program. For more information about this convenient ordering method, please visit http://www.usmint.gov.

Customers can purchase the 2003 United States Mint 50 State Quarters Proof SetÔ online through the United States Mint’s secure website at http://www.usmint.gov, or by calling toll-free 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Also, orders may be mailed 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 two to three weeks for delivery.

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 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.

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint announced today that quarters honoring Illinois, the first coin in the 50 State Quarters® Program to be struck for the year 2003, will go on sale beginning Thursday, January 2nd, 2003, at 12:00 noon (E.D.T.), and will be available for purchase the entire 10-week release period. The Illinois 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 Illinois quarters in Two-Roll Sets and Bags are also available as part of the United States Mint’s popular Subscription Program.

Illinois is the 21st state to be honored in the 50 State Quarters Program. 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.

“The Prairie State,” also commonly known as the “Land of Lincoln,” pays tribute to our Nation’s 16th president. The young Lincoln lived and practiced law in Springfield before becoming one of our Nation’s greatest leaders. President Lincoln’s historic home, burial site and new presidential library are all located in the Springfield area.

Each two-roll set is composed of 80 quarters, one roll of 40 coins with the Philadelphia mint mark and one roll of 40 coins with the Denver Mint mark. 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, “IL” designating the State of Illinois, 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 customers. There are no order limits on these products.

Customers can purchase the Illinois quarters in Two-Roll Sets and Bags by using the United States Mint’s secure website http://www.usmint.gov, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT. As an added convenience, customers may order future 50 State Quarters rolls and bags online through the United States Mint’s subscription program. For more information about this ordering method, please visit http://www.usmint.gov.

Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468). A shipping and handling fee of $3.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders.