2004 Quarter Designs

[dadaist]

The US Mint's website hasn't posted these yet (www.usmint.gov) - BUT I have been able to find the officially approved designs for the 2004 quarters online (Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, in that order).

Rather than copy the JPEGs, the legality of which might be questionable, I'll just post the URLs, which I got via Google.

http://www.statequarters.com/CoinageDesigns/Michigan.asp
http://www.statequarters.com/CoinageDesigns/Florida.asp
http://www.statequarters.com/CoinageDesigns/Texas.asp
http://www.statequarters.com/CoinageDesigns/Iowa.asp
http://www.statequarters.com/CoinageDesigns/Wisconsin.asp

The Michigan quarter will be released on January 26th, their statehood anniversary.
The others will likely be released in 6-8 week intervals following that, through the end of 2004.

[Ryan²]

Blimey - they've changed since I was in the US.

[dadaist]

Originally posted by ukG²
Blimey - they've changed since I was in the US.

It's all part of the ongoing 50 state quarter program, started in 1999 (and originally proposed for the Susan B Anthony Dollars, but later changed to the George Washington Quarter Dollars, with the new Sacajawea dollars taking over for the SBAs). 2004 is the 6th year of the program, and will be quarters 26-30. Each of the three US Mints (Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco) mints the coins, but the SF Mint only produces them for proof sets, and the Denver and Philadelphia coins go into circulation.
In 2009, provided no other states have been admitted to the United States, the reverse design on the Washington Quarter Dollar will revert to an American Eagle design (if another state is admitted between now and 2008, it gets its own quarter in 2009).
Other facts can be found at www.usmint.gov, or www.statequarters.com.

[Lilith]

2004 nickels will feature the Louisiana Purchase and 2005 nickels Lewis & Clark...I think, if I remember right.

I understand the quarters but I am not for all this just to spur coin collecting. I think it cheapens the value of our $$ in the eyes of others.

[dadaist]

Originally posted by Lilith
2004 nickels will feature the Louisiana Purchase and 2005 nickels Lewis & Clark...I think, if I remember right.

I understand the quarters but I am not for all this just to spur coin collecting. I think it cheapens the value of our $$ in the eyes of others.

As far as I know, none of these coinage programs have had ANY effect of the value of our currency, and the new $20 is far uglier ;)

Both the new nickels are to be released in 2004 actually:

http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/index.cfm?action=nickel_series

(scroll to the bottom of that page for the images - the obverse is to stay exactly the same, as I understand it).

The new designs should have taken effect in 2003, the actual anniversary year of the Louisiana Purchase, but the first coin is to be issued early in 2004, and the other, marking the Lewis & Clark anniversary, will be released late in 2004. (And I'm constantly reminded of Gary Larson's various jabs at Lewis and Clark, but I digress).

[jseal]

dadaist,

I had no idea! Very interesting. Do you know if or when the $1 bill is to be revised?

[dadaist]

Originally posted by jseal
dadaist,

I had no idea! Very interesting. Do you know if or when the $1 bill is to be revised?

As far as I've heard the $1 and $2s are to remain the same. Even the $5s and $10s aren't going to get the new 'color' treatment, only the $20s, $50s and $100s (the most widely counterfeited bills).

[Lilith]

I don't mean cheapen as in devalued in a monetary sense.

[dadaist]

Originally posted by Lilith
I don't mean cheapen as in devalued in a monetary sense.

I know, I still just don't like the new $20 though. ;)