Three stars for Tennessee

I had a telephone call from a helpful Numismatic News reader on Friday. He had the answer to a question asked by a writer in the June 17 issue.

In that particular issue, Phillip M. Lo Presti begins his two-part commentary on the designs of all of the 50 state quarters.

Most readers have opinions about the various designs and Lo Presti decided to jump into that pool and share his. Perhaps other readers will then follow suit and share their opinions.

The question Lo Presti asks has to do with the Tennessee quarter design on which appears a guitar, trumpet and violin and the words, “Musical Heritage.” Also, toward the top are three five-pointed stars. Lo Presti asks what they stand for.

A helpful caller wanted to let me know that they stand for the three states of Tennessee or grand divisions as he also called them, the east, middle and west.

I asked the caller if he would send me an e-mail or a letter to run as a letter to the editor, but he did not want to do so.

We don’t normally transcribe phone calls, but this information is worth sharing, so I use this space to pass the information along.

Sharing these tidbits of information and history are a part of what the state quarter program was supposed to be all about. On that score, and on many others, it is working.