We all collect stuff, some fabulous and arty/special; some pop-culture/trendy, some pedantic/everyday American -- like coins.
Compared with currency and coins in other countries, American money has had limited popular interest, that is until the state quarter project was introduced in 1999, with Delaware.
The series inspired an unprecedented collecting craze that has brought more than $3.8 billion profit to the U.S. Mint and has made the state quarters the most successful coins in U.S. history.
We have had very few interesting pieces since the re-issuance of $2 bills and the coining of the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollars -- now we're looking forward finding to the 50th state quarter, Hawaii, in our change at the grocery store, toll booth or laundrymat.
I collect other stuff, and am not really a coin enthusiast, but I was drawn to the state quarters because of their diversity and because of the innovative, audience-participation design process.
As in the workflow at JDA, the U.S. Mint set up design criteria and development and review process. Each state established a committee to gather designs, evaluate them, put the favorites out for popular vote, and propose the chosen version to the U.S. Mint
In California, more than 8,000 concepts were submitted. The winning design was created by Garrett Burke (45), an honors graduate of Pratt Institute School of Art and Design in New York, who has been working in the Los Angeles entertainment industry since 1985.
Involvement in iconifying their state on a chunk of change and anticipating what other states will do became a popular activity for school kids, coin collectors and accidental appreciators. It is a good lesson in cooperation and getting down with bureaucracy in a good way. And if you go to the U.S. Mint's Web site, you can learn the story of each state's coin and find out who engraved it. That artist gets credit.
The final results are enduring representations of what each state is known for, or for acknowledging obscure but significant heroism or accomplishment. They impart the rich diversity of our country and its natural history, leaders and historic events.
The state quarter series concludes this year, with the final five coins representing Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arziona, Alaska and Hawaii, the last states to join the union.
You can go to a numismatic store and buy them all, or send money to one of several companies advertising in your Sunday newspaper, but it is more fun to watch your change and capture them "in the wild", then trade them with your kids, friends and co-workers. Join me in the search. --Elyse Barrett
Compared with currency and coins in other countries, American money has had limited popular interest, that is until the state quarter project was introduced in 1999, with Delaware.
The series inspired an unprecedented collecting craze that has brought more than $3.8 billion profit to the U.S. Mint and has made the state quarters the most successful coins in U.S. history.
We have had very few interesting pieces since the re-issuance of $2 bills and the coining of the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollars -- now we're looking forward finding to the 50th state quarter, Hawaii, in our change at the grocery store, toll booth or laundrymat.
I collect other stuff, and am not really a coin enthusiast, but I was drawn to the state quarters because of their diversity and because of the innovative, audience-participation design process.
As in the workflow at JDA, the U.S. Mint set up design criteria and development and review process. Each state established a committee to gather designs, evaluate them, put the favorites out for popular vote, and propose the chosen version to the U.S. Mint
In California, more than 8,000 concepts were submitted. The winning design was created by Garrett Burke (45), an honors graduate of Pratt Institute School of Art and Design in New York, who has been working in the Los Angeles entertainment industry since 1985.
Involvement in iconifying their state on a chunk of change and anticipating what other states will do became a popular activity for school kids, coin collectors and accidental appreciators. It is a good lesson in cooperation and getting down with bureaucracy in a good way. And if you go to the U.S. Mint's Web site, you can learn the story of each state's coin and find out who engraved it. That artist gets credit.
The final results are enduring representations of what each state is known for, or for acknowledging obscure but significant heroism or accomplishment. They impart the rich diversity of our country and its natural history, leaders and historic events.
The state quarter series concludes this year, with the final five coins representing Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arziona, Alaska and Hawaii, the last states to join the union.
You can go to a numismatic store and buy them all, or send money to one of several companies advertising in your Sunday newspaper, but it is more fun to watch your change and capture them "in the wild", then trade them with your kids, friends and co-workers. Join me in the search. --Elyse Barrett
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