A crowd gathered in Denver to watch the official launch of the Colorado state quarter June 14.
Braving heat that approached 100 degrees, Gov. Bill Owens and First Lady Frances Owns accepted the original artwork for the quarter from the U.S. Mint's Deputy Director David A. Lebryk and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Sandra Pack.
The governor, his wife and Lebryk also placed an enlarged quarter image on the state map that provides the backdrop for these events.
Much of the debut procedure is familiar to those who have witnessed it before, but for each state, especially the home of a mint, the exercise is special and it attracts a hometown crowd. Collectors and the public are eager to change their folding money into rolls of the new state quarters.
As befitting a state with an Old West heritage, a stagecoach was used to deliver the new coins.
Bags and rolls went on sale at the same time. They may be ordered by visiting the Mint's Web site, www.usmint.gov, which lists prices and instructions, or by telephoning toll free, 1-800-USA-MINT.
