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PORTLAND, OR – Gloria Eskridge, the United States Mint Associate Director for Sales and Marketing, joined Governor Ted Kulongoski today to officially launch the Oregon commemorative quarter-dollar coin in front of the Oregon State Historical Society in downtown Portland. The reverse design of the new quarter features an image of Oregon’s Crater Lake, which is 1,949 feet deep – the deepest lake in the United States. The third quarter to be released in 2005, it is the 33rd coin to be issued in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters® Program.

“Crater Lake is a great choice for the Oregon quarter,” said Associate Director Eskridge. “Crystal clear and deep, deep blue, Crater Lake’s singular beauty is sacred to the region’s Native Americans and beloved by Oregonians and the thousands who visit Crater Lake National Park every year. Because of this quarter, many more will discover Oregon’s natural wonders.”

Following the launch ceremony, which featured three of Oregon’s Native American tribes, an ice cream party was held, and coin collectors of all ages exchanged their dollar bills for rolls of Oregon quarters. On the eve of the Oregon quarter launch ceremony, the United States Mint hosted a Coin Collectors Forum at the Oregon Historical Society to discuss what the American people would like to see in their coinage. Lesson plans about the Oregon Quarter, the 50 State Quarters Program, and the Westward Journey Nickel Series™, may be downloaded free from the United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change 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 Oregon 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.

WASHINGTON — The United States Mint announced today that commemorative quarter-dollar coins honoring Oregon, the third coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program to be released in 2005, will go on sale beginning June 6, 2005, at 12:00 noon (ET), and will be available for purchase during the 10-week release period. The Oregon 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.

On February 14, 1859, Oregon became the 33rd state to be admitted into the Union, and the Oregon quarter is the 33rd coin to be issued in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters Program. The reverse design features Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States, viewed from the south-southwest rim. The design incorporates Wizard Island, as well as Watchman and Hillman Peaks, on the lake’s rim and conifers. The coin bears the inscription “Crater Lake.”

Crater Lake is a unique and stunning natural treasure, formed more than 7,700 years ago by the collapse of Mt. Mazama in what is now southern Oregon. At 1,949 feet, it is the deepest lake in the United States and the seventh deepest in the world, and has a record clarity depth of 134 feet. The main cause of Crater Lake’s remarkable clarity is its isolation from incoming streams and rivers.

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, “OR” designating the State of Oregon, 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 Oregon 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.

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.