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The
third commemorative quarter-dollar coin
released in 2008 honors Arizona, and is
the 48th coin in the United States Mint’s
50 State Quarters® Program. Arizona was
admitted into the Union on February 14,
1912, becoming our Nation’s 48th state,
and the last in the continental United
States.
The Arizona quarter features an image of the
Grand Canyon with a Saguaro cactus in the
foreground. A banner reading "Grand Canyon
State" separates the two images to signify that
the Saguaro cactus does not grow in the Grand
Canyon. The coin also bears the inscriptions
"Arizona" and "1912."
One of the seven natural wonders of the world,
the Grand Canyon covers more than 1.2 million
acres in northwestern Arizona. The Canyon,
sculpted by the mighty Colorado River, is 6,000
feet deep at its deepest point and 18 miles at
its widest. It is home to numerous rare and
threatened plant and animal species. The Grand
Canyon joined the National Park system in 1919
and is visited by more than four million
tourists a year.
The Arizona Quarter Commission, appointed by
Governor Janet Napolitano, solicited design
suggestions from across the State. The
Commission narrowed down more than 4,200 ideas
to five narratives, which were sent to the
United States Mint for consideration. The final
artistic renderings, developed by
Sculptor-Engravers of the United States Mint
and artists in the United States Mint’s
Artistic Infusion Program, were then proposed
to Arizona, and a statewide online vote was
conducted. On May 1, 2007, Governor Napolitano
announced her recommendation of the "Grand
Canyon with Saguaro Cactus" design, based on
the results of the online poll.
The Department of the Treasury approved the
design on May 25, 2007. The other design
concepts considered during the final selection
process were "Grand Canyon," featuring an
overview of the Grand Canyon; "Grand Canyon
with Saguaro Cacti," featuring the Saguaro
cactus as the central design with the Grand
Canyon in the background; "Powell’s Grand
Canyon Expedition," depicting the John Wesley
Powell expedition in a boat going through
rapids; and "Navajo Code Talkers," depicting
two Navajo Code Talkers using World War II
field communication equipment.
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Grand Canyon with a Saguaro
cactus, Arizona’s state flower, in the
foreground. A banner reading “Grand
Canyon State” separates the two images to
signify that the Saguaro cactus does not
grow in the Grand Canyon. The coin also
bears the inscriptions “Arizona” and
“1912.”
United States Mint image |
To
learn even more about the
State Quarters Program, please
visit,
The United States
Mint
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