Designs for the five 2006 state quarters have officially been chosen.
The U.S. Mint released the selected designs for Nevada, Nebraska, Colo-rado, North Dakota and South Dakota commemorative quarters on Nov. 23.
Part of the Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program, the new quarters will be issued at approximate 10-week intervals beginning early in 2006.
The public may acquire each new quarter for face value in person at the site of the official quarter launches, or buy the coins online when they are issued. Of course, the new quarters will also be available in circulation.
The Mint is introducing state quarters in the order in which each state was admitted into the Union.
First up in early 2006 is Nevada, with wild stallions, snow-capped mountains and the sun, bordered by sagebrush and a banner that reads “The Silver State” gracing the reverse. The image was designed and sculpted by Mint sculptor-engraver Don Everhart.
Nebraska’s quarter features an ox-drawn covered wagon carrying pioneers past Chimney Rock, the natural wonder that rises from the valley of the North Platte River. The coin was designed by Artistic Infusion Program artist Richard Masters of Appleton, Wis., and sculpted by Mint sculptor-engraver Charles Vickers.
Nebraska will be followed by Colorado, the third to be released in 2006. It depicts the rugged Rocky Mountains with evergreen trees and a banner carrying the inscription “Colorful Colorado.” The Colorado quarter was designed by AIP artist Leonard Buckley of Damascus, Md., and sculpted by Mint sculptor-engraver Norman Nemeth.
The fourth quarter of 2006 honors North Dakota. It depicts a pair of grazing American bison backed by a sunset view of the buttes and canyons that symbolize the state’s Badlands region. The image was designed by AIP artist Stephen Clark of Post Falls, Idaho, and sculpted by Mint sculptor-engraver Donna Weaver.
The fifth and final commemorative quarter to be issued in 2006 honors South Dakota, the Mount Rushmore State. The release of this coin will signal the completion of the eighth year of the state quarter program. It features an image of the state bird, a Chinese ring-necked pheasant, in flight above the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The design is bordered by heads of wheat. The South Dakota quarter reverse was designed by AIP artist Michael Leidel of Marietta, Ga., and sculpted by Mint sculptor-engraver John Mercanti.
Customers will be able to purchase the 2006 state quarters in two-roll sets and bags during the period each is minted. Orders can be submitted by using the Mint’s Web site, www.usmint.gov, or by calling (800) USA-MINT (872-6468).
Customers can also participate in a subscription-ordering program in which specific products, such as two-roll sets and bags of each new quarter, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each new issue is released.
For more information about this ordering method, visit www.usmint.gov.
A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders. Quarter bags of 1,000 coins will have an additional charge of $7.95 per bag because of their weight and size.
