The 50 State Quarters Program began in 1998 following the Washington Quarters series. A uniquely designed quarter was released to honor each of the 50 States in the order that they ratified the Constitution or joined the Union. The obverse design featured a modified version of John Flanagan’s original portrait of George Washington and the reverse design featured the unique design for each state. The State Quarters series has been credited with introducing millions of people to coin collecting and inspiring a generation to take a closer look at their pocket change.
After all 50 states were honored, a second series known as the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Quarters was issued in 2009 to honor jurisdictions not classified as states. These quarters still featured the portrait of George Washington and a unique design for each territory and the District of Columbia. This release also featured six quarters, which was a departure from the previous pattern of five quarters per year.
State Quarter Notes:
Mintage levels were impacted by several factors, including the demand for circulating coins within commerce and demand from collectors. Throughout the series, the Federal Reserve Banks allowed depository institutions to order each new design of the series in unmixed quantities. Many collectors were able to complete the entire series by periodically visiting their local bank.
There were a total of 100 different state, date, and mint mark combinations for circulation strike coins. These coins were struck at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints and carry the “P” and “D” mint marks.
The total number of State Quarters produced for circulation was 34,797,600,000.