May 30, 2002
UNITED STATES MINT LAUNCHES LOUISIANA STATE QUARTER
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The Louisiana Quarter Meets the French Quarter
New Orleans, Louisiana – Governor M. J. “Mike” Foster, Jr. today
joined United States Treasurer Rosario Marin and United States Mint
Director Henrietta Holsman Fore at the New Orleans Mint Museum in New
Orleans to unveil the Louisiana commemorative quarter-dollar coin, the
18th under the 50 State Quarters® Program. The launch ceremony featured
remarks from noted Louisianians, including William Arceneaux, President of
the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, former
pro football player and outdoor sports commentator Bert Jones, and
historian Nick Spitzer.
Following the launch event, Director Fore attended a collectors’
forum at which she fielded questions from coin collectors and dealers on a
number of issues of interest to the numismatic hobby.
Louisiana joined the Union on April 30, 1812, becoming the 18th state.
The Louisiana quarter design incorporates the image of a brown pelican, a
trumpet with musical notes, and the outline of the Louisiana Purchase
territory, with the inscription “Louisiana Purchase.” Louisiana’s
nickname, the “Pelican State,” honors the state bird – the brown
pelican – which is indigenous to Louisiana. The trumpet and musical
notes represent the birth of jazz in New Orleans. The coin’s third
element, the outline of the Louisiana Purchase territory, refers to the
largest single expansion of the United States, which roughly doubled the
size of the country in 1803.
“Today we celebrate Louisiana’s impact on the history, heritage and
culture of this great nation,” said Director Fore. “How fitting that
the historic New Orleans Mint, which first struck gold coins in 1838, now
plays host to Louisiana’s very own coin – the Louisiana quarter.”
She added that Louisianians should be proud of this coin and the place it
now takes as the 18th state in the 50 State Quarters Program.
“The launch of the Louisiana quarter is one of those moments that
makes me proud of Louisiana,” said Governor Foster. “It was a long
process, but one that involved the citizens of this state, by asking for
their help in designing the quarter. The final design shows the best of
Louisiana’s treasures; its music, its heritage of conservation and the
Louisiana Purchase.”
Governor Foster established the Louisiana Commemorative Coin Advisory
Commission, which solicited design concepts from all Louisiana residents,
encouraging school children’s participation. The Commission’s Official
Rules state that the final design must be “…easily understood by both
the youth of the state of Louisiana and the youth of other states.” Of
the 1,193 submissions the Commission received, a large majority came from
school children. After consulting with the Commission, Governor Foster
submitted five design concepts to the United States Mint, including the
brown pelican, the Louisiana Purchase territory, a riverboat, and the
Cabildo. U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill approved the final design.
The Louisiana quarter, officially released to the Federal Reserve Bank
on May 20, marked the end of the Ohio quarter 10-week release period,
which began in March 2002. The quarters are manufactured at the
Philadelphia and Denver Mints, which produce all U.S. circulating coins
and ships them to the Federal Reserve Bank for distribution to the nation’s
banks.
Launched in 1999, the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program
is a 10-year initiative that honors each of the nation’s states in the
order that they joined the Union. Each quarter is produced for about 10
weeks and will never be produced again. Surveys show that over 139 million
adults are collecting the quarters.
The 50 State Quarters products, including the popular collectible proof
sets featuring the five state quarters of each year, are available on our
website, www.usmint.gov,
and by calling 1-800-USA-MINT. Other products include spoons, key fobs,
bookmarks, golf divot tools and pendants. Watches and desk clocks
featuring the Louisiana state quarter will be available later this spring.
Created by Congress in 1792, the United States Mint is a manufacturing
and international marketing enterprise with $2.4 billion in annual revenue
and about 2,400 employees. In FY 2001, the United States Mint produced
approximately 24 billion coins, fulfilling its primary mission to produce
an adequate supply of circulating coinage for the nation’s commerce. For
more information, please visit www.usmint.gov.
Contact: Michael White (202) 354-7222
Website: www.usmint.gov |
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