State-Quarter.com

UNITED STATES MINT HELPS CELEBRATE IOWA’S “FOUNDATION IN EDUCATION”

DES MOINES - As the nation’s children prepare for the new school year, United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore and Iowa Governor Thomas J. Vilsack launched the new Iowa quarter-dollar coin at the State Capitol here, celebrating a “Foundation in Education.”

“This will become our ‘Education Quarter,’ declared Director Fore. “As students head back to school, they will carry in their pockets a reminder that from a one room school house in Iowa, we have created an educated nation.”

The Governor, Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack and Director Fore were joined in the celebration by Lt. Governor Sally J. Pederson and Anita Walker of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. The 34th Army Band of the Iowa Army National Guard and the Isisirettes Drill and Drum Corps provided the musical entertainment, and actor Tom Milligan portrayed renowned artist and Iowa native Grant Wood. Peter the Mint Eagle greeted children in the audience, and each received a free, new Iowa quarter-dollar. Adults participated in a quarter exchange after the ceremony.

The Iowa quarter-dollar is the fourth of 2004, and the 29th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. On December 28, 1846, Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted into the Union. The Iowa quarter-dollar design features a one-room schoolhouse with a teacher and students planting a tree, and the inscriptions “Foundation in Education” and “Grant Wood.” The design is based on “Arbor Day,” a painting by Grant Wood, who was born near Anamosa, Iowa.

Iowans have had a commitment to education since the state’s earliest days. When Iowa became a state in 1846, it already had a number of rural country schools in each of its counties. Iowa established its first high school in the 1850s, although high schools generally did not become widespread in the United States until after 1900. Private and public colleges also quickly took root in the new State.

The Iowa quarter-dollar is available in two-roll sets (40 coins per roll), including one roll each from the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins, at the Mint website at www.usmint.gov. The two-roll sets are $32.00, bags of 100 coins are $35.50, and bags of 1,000 coins $300.00.

What: As the nation’s children prepare for a new school year, United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore and Iowa Governor Thomas J. Vilsack will launch the Iowa state quarter, celebrating Iowa’s “Foundation in Education.”

The 34th Army Band of the Iowa Army National Guard and the Isisirettes Drill and Drum Corps will provide the musical entertainment. Actor Tom Milligan will depict renowned artist and Iowa native Grant Wood. Peter the Mint Eagle will greet children in the audience, and each child will receive a new Iowa quarter free. Adults may exchange their coins and bills for rolls of Iowa quarters.

The Iowa quarter is the fourth of 2004, and the 29th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. On December 28, 1846, Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted into the Union. The Iowa quarter design features a one-room schoolhouse with a teacher and students planting a tree, and the inscriptions “Foundation in Education” and “Grant Wood.” The design is based on “Arbor Day,” a painting by Grant Wood, who was born near Anamosa, Iowa.

Who: United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore

Iowa Governor Thomas J. Vilsack and First Lady Christie Vilsack

Lt. Governor Sally J. Pederson

Anita Walker, Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald

Students from Capitol View Elementary School

When: 10:00 a.m., Friday, September 3, 2004

Where: Iowa State Capitol, East 9th and Grand, Des Moines, Iowa.

For a digital image of the Iowa quarter: http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=photo#SQ2004

Iowa Quarter Launch Satellite B-Roll Feed:

Friday, September 3, 2004 3:15 to 3:45 p.m. (EDT) AMC 9-Transponder 22

WASHINGTON — The United States Mint announced today that commemorative quarter-dollar coins honoring Iowa, the fourth in the 50 State Quarters® Program to be released in 2004, will go on sale beginning August 30, 2004, at 12:00 noon (ET), and will be available for purchase during the 10-week release period. The Iowa quarter-dollars are available in two-roll sets (40 coins per roll), including one roll each from the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins. The quarter two-roll sets and bags are also available as part of the United States Mint’s popular online Subscription Program.

On December 28, 1846, Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted into the Union. The Iowa quarter design features the inscriptions “Foundation in Education” and “Grant Wood” and a one-room schoolhouse with a teacher and students planting a tree. The design is based on “Arbor Day,” a painting by Grant Wood, who was born near Anamosa, Iowa. He spent his career as a proponent of small-town values, which he celebrated in the iconic images of plain folk and verdant Midwestern vistas for which he is world-renowned.

Iowans have had a commitment to education since the State’s earliest days. When Iowa became a state in 1846, it already had a number of rural country schools in each of its counties. Iowa established its first high school in the 1850s, although high schools generally did not become widespread in the United States until after 1900. Private and public colleges also quickly took root in the new State.

Each coin roll is wrapped in a specially designed paper coin wrap that prominently displays the 50 State Quarters Program logo, a “P” or “D” representing the roll’s mint of origin, “IA” designating the State of Iowa, and “$10” representing its dollar value. Two-roll sets will sell for $32.00, bags of 100 coins for $35.50, and bags of 1,000 coins for $300.00. Each bag is marked with the mint of origin and the dollar value of its contents ($25.00 or $250.00). These two-roll sets and bags feature quarters used in regular transactions and are struck on our main production floors at the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver. There is no order limit on these products.

Customers can purchase the Iowa quarter-dollars in two-roll sets and bags 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 two-roll sets and bags, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each new quarter is released. For more information about this ordering method, please visit www.usmint.gov. Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468). A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders. Quarter bags of 1,000 coins will have an additional charge of $7.95 per bag because of their weight and size.