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WASHINGTON - The United States Mint today announced that the 2005 United States Mint Proof Set® will be released Thursday, March 3, 2005, at 12:01 a.m. (ET) via its online catalog. The set, priced at $22.95, features proof versions of the Lincoln cent, the Westward Journey Nickel Series™ “American Bison” and “Ocean in View” 5-cent coins, the Roosevelt dime, the Kennedy half-dollar and the Golden Dollar, all in one sealed presentation case. A separate presentation case contains proof versions of the commemorative quarter-dollar coins from each state honored this year in the United States Mint 50 State Quarters® Program – California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas and West Virginia.

Also available March 3 at 12:01 a.m. (ET) via the online catalog is the limited edition of 75,000 California Official First Day Coin Covers, priced at $19.95. The cover features two California commemorative quarter-dollar coins – one each bearing a mint mark from the United States Mint at Philadelphia and Denver.

Customers can begin ordering both products at 8:30 a.m. (ET), Thursday, March 3, via the United States Mint’s toll-free number at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

Proof coins are manufactured by the United States Mint at San Francisco using specially prepared, highly polished dies, and bear 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 specially printed sleeves and are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

Struck on January 3, 2005, the first day of mintage, the quarter-dollar coins in the California Official First Day Coin Covers are mounted on a handsome display card with a cancelled 37-cent United States Flag postage stamp. The postmark of January 31, 2005, Yosemite National Park, California, marks the day California quarter dollars were first released to the Federal Reserve Bank and to the public, certifying this limited edition and honoring America’s “Golden State.”

The California quarter-dollar is the 31st in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program, which honors the states in the order that they ratified the Constitution or were admitted into the Union. Five state designs will be issued each year through 2008, at approximately 10-week intervals.

California was admitted into the Union on September 9, 1850, becoming America’s 31st state. The reverse design, by United States Mint Sculptor/Engraver Don Everhart, portrays naturalist and conservationist John Muir admiring Yosemite Valley’s monolithic granite headwall known as Half Dome. Soaring between the naturalist and the mountain is a California Condor. The coin bears the inscriptions “California,” “John Muir,” “Yosemite Valley” and “1850.”

There is no household order limit for the 2005 United States Mint Proof Set or the California Official First Day Coin Cover. Customers may order as many sets as they desire while supplies last. The United States Mint Proof Set and the California Official First Day Coin Cover are also available through the United States Mint’s Subscription Program. For more information about this convenient ordering method, please visit www.usmint.gov.

The 2005 United States Mint 50 State Quarters Proof Set™, featuring proof versions of the 2005 quarters issued under the 50 State Quarters Program, may be purchased separately for $15.95.

Customers can purchase the 2005 United States Mint Proof Set and the California Official First Day Coin Cover online through the United States Mint’s secure website at www.usmint.gov/catalog, or by calling toll-free 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468) 8:00 a.m.(except for March 3, when phone orders begin at 8:30 a.m.) to midnight (ET), seven days a week. Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468) 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday. Also, orders may be mailed to the United States Mint, P.O. Box 382601, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-8601. A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders.

Celebrating “John Muir, Yosemite Valley and California Condor”

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore joined Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver at the California State History Museum to launch the California commemorative quarter-dollar today. The reverse design on the new quarter depicts naturalist and conservationist John Muir admiring Yosemite Valley’s Half Dome. Soaring amid the scene is a California condor. The coin bears the inscriptions “California,” “John Muir,” “Yosemite Valley” and “1850.”

“The California quarter honors California’s varied and profound natural beauty and John Muir, whose appreciation for the State’s dramatic landscape became his lifelong work and passion,” said Director Fore. “Today and for many years to come, this quarter will remind us of California’s promise and spirit.”

Following the launch ceremony, coin collectors of all ages exchanged their coins and bills for rolls of California quarters. Peter the Mint Eagle, the United States Mint’s mascot, was on hand to celebrate with the crowd.

The first quarter released in 2005, honoring California, is the 31st in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program. California was admitted into the Union on September 9, 1850, becoming our Nation’s 31st State.

In 1849, the year before California gained statehood, the family of 11-year-old John Muir emigrated from Scotland to the United States, settling in Wisconsin. In 1868, at the age of 30, Muir sailed up the West Coast and landed in San Francisco. He made his home in the Yosemite Valley, describing the Sierra Nevada Mountains as “the Range of Light… the most divinely beautiful of all the mountain chains I have seen.” He devoted the rest of his life to the conservation of natural beauty, publishing more than 300 articles and 10 books that expanded his naturalist philosophy.

In 1890, Congress established Yosemite National Park, and, in 1892, John Muir helped form the Sierra Club to protect it, serving as that organization’s President until his death in 1914.

The California condor, with a wingspan as long as nine feet, is also featured on the coin in a tribute to the successful repopulation of the bird that was once nearly extinct.

Lesson plans about the California coin may be downloaded free from the United States Mint website at http://www.usmint.gov/kids. Teachers, parents and students can also explore the many other teaching aids, and the games, puzzles, and stories for kids that show how coins are “history in your pocket.”

The California quarter 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 United States 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 are $300.00.

For a high resolution photograph of the California Quarter, please visit http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=Photo#SQ2005

VIDEO AVAILABLE — Satellite Feed of B-Roll California State Quarter Launch; State Archives Reference Room, Sacramento, CA.

Satellite feed date: January 31, 2005; Feed time: 3:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. ET, IA 6, Transp. 15; DL 4000V

Satellite feed date: February 1, 2005; Feed Time; 1:00-1:15 p.m. ET, IA 6m Transp. 15; DL 4120

This b-roll produced by the United States Mint will contain: 1.Close-up of new California quarter; 2. Scenes from launch event at the California State History Museum; 3. Sound bites of officials from the event, launching the new California quarter.

WASHINGTON — The United States Mint announced today that commemorative quarter-dollar coins honoring California, the first coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program to be released in 2005, will go on sale beginning January 31, 2005, at 12:00 noon (ET), and will be available for purchase during the 10-week release period. The California quarter-dollars are available in two-roll sets (40 coins per roll), including one roll each from the United States Mint facilities at Philadelphia and Denver, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins.

On September 9, 1850, California was admitted into the Union, becoming our Nation’s 31st State. Nicknamed the “Golden State,” California’s quarter depicts naturalist and conservationist John Muir admiring Yosemite Valley’s monolithic granite headwall known as Half Dome. Soaring between the naturalist and the mountain is a California condor. The coin bears the inscriptions “California,” “John Muir,” “Yosemite Valley” and “1850.”

Each coin roll in the two-roll set 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, “CA” designating the State of California, 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 facilities at Philadelphia and Denver. There is no order limit on these products.

Customers can purchase the California 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 an Online Subscription 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.

New Plans Latest in Line of 50 State Quarters® Curriculum Materials

WASHINGTON—The United States Mint has posted its new set of 50 State Quarters® Program lesson plans for 2005.

Click here to download the plans for free from the United States Mint website. The plans feature the California, Minnesota, Kansas, Oregon and West Virginia commemorative quarter-dollar coins to be released this year.

The 50 State Quarters series of lesson plans has been used by thousands of teachers across the country since the popular initiative began in 1999.

“When coins are used to teach not only addition and subtraction, but also art, history, geography and financial literacy, they become keys to a broader world,” said United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore. “Coins are a great teaching tool, and our lesson plans reinforce their educational value.”

The United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ website at www.usmint.gov/kids originally featured lesson plans that were designed for grades K through 6. The plans were recently expanded to include grades 7 through 12. The site also offers many other educational resources, such as Teacher Features (classroom activities designed to support games and other features on the site) and the Time Machine (animated, interactive trips to important events in American history).

Created and reviewed by teachers to meet national curricular standards, the United States Mint lesson plans draw upon the reverse designs of the 50 State Quarters coins to inspire students to learn about the culture, geography, and unique heritage of each state. Each set of lesson plans blends clear instructions with student-friendly reproducible worksheets, background information and answer keys to help make instruction easier for educators.

Also, watch the site for the new Westward Journey Nickel Series™ lesson plans as the coins are released during 2005. These plans will join the nickel lesson plans already available for the 2004 designs.

For more information, free educational resources, games, and lesson plans from previous years, visit www.usmint.gov/kids.