Description

The 50 State Quarters Program was the release of a series of circulating commemorative coins by the United States Mint. From 1999 through 2008, the 50 state quarters were released by the United States Mint every ten weeks, or five each year.

Each quarter's reverse commemorated one of the 50 states with a design emblematic of its unique history, traditions and symbols. Certain design elements, such as state flags, images of living persons, and head-and-shoulder images of deceased persons were prohibited.

The 50 State Quarters Program was started to support a new generation of coin collectors, and it became the most successful numismatic program in history, with roughly half of the U.S. population collecting the coins, either in a casual manner or as a serious pursuit.

Quarters are issued in the order that the states ratified the Constitution. Release date (statehood date): August 4, 2003 (August 10, 1821).

Obverse

A head of George Washington, the first President of the United States, facing left.

Designer: John Flanagan (JF), 1932 version from a 1786 bust by Houdon / William Cousins.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
IN
GOD WE
TRUST
LIBERTY
D
JF
QUARTER DOLLAR

Reverse

Gateway Arch, Lewis and Clark and York returning down Missouri River. Caption: "Corps of Discovery 1804–2004".

The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot (192 m) monument in St. Louis in the U.S. state of Missouri. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of an inverted, weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch, and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, it is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and has become an internationally famous symbol of St. Louis. The Gateway Arch was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1947; construction began on February 12, 1963, and was completed on October 28, 1965.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross what is now the western portion of the United States, departing in May 1804, from near St. Louis making their way westward through the continental divide to the Pacific coast. The expedition was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, consisting of a select group of U.S. Army volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend, Second Lieutenant William Clark. York (1770 – c. 1822) was an African-American slave best known for his participation with the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Engraver: Alfred Maletsky (AM).

MISSOURI
1821
CORPS OF DISCOVERY
1804-2004
AM
2003
E PLURIBUS UNUM

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Copper Nickel Clad Copper
Weight 5.67 g
Diameter 24.3 mm
Thickness 1.75 mm
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Mints
Denver Mint (D)
Philadelphia Mint (P)
San Francisco Mint (S)

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