WASHINGTON — The United States Mint announced today that state quarters honoring Alabama, the second coin in the 50 State Quarters Program to be released in 2003, will go on sale beginning March 17, 2003, at 12:00 noon (E.S.T.), and will be available for purchase during the 10–week release period. The Alabama quarters are available in two–roll sets (40 coins per roll), including one Philadelphia and one Denver mint mark coin roll each, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins. The Alabama quarters are also available as part of the United States Mint’s popular Subscription Program.
Alabama became the 22nd state to be admitted into the Union on December 14, 1819. The Alabama quarter design features an image of Helen Keller with her name in English, and in a reduced–size version of braille. The Alabama quarter is the first U.S. circulating coin to feature braille. An Alabama long leaf pine branch and magnolias grace the sides of the design, and a “Spirit of Courage” banner underlines the central image.
Each coin roll in the two–roll set is wrapped in a specially–designed United States Mint paper coin wrap that prominently displays the 50 State Quarters program logo, a “P” or “D” representing the roll’s mint of origin, “AL” designating the State of Alabama, and “$10” representing its dollar value. Each bag is marked with the mint of origin and the dollar value of its contents ($25 or $250). Two–roll sets will sell for $32.00, bags of 100 coins for $35.50, and bags of 1,000 coins for $300. These two–roll sets and bags, featuring quarters used in regular transactions and struck on our main production floors at the Philadelphia and Denver Mint facilities, will be shipped directly to customers. There is no order limit on these products.
Customers can purchase the Alabama quarters in two–roll sets and bags by using the United States Mint’s secure website, www.usmint.gov, or by calling 1–800–USA–MINT. As an added convenience, customers can participate in a subscription–ordering program in which specific products, such as quarter sets and bags, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each new state quarter is released. For more information about this ordering method, please visit www.usmint.gov. Hearing and speech–impaired customers may order by calling 1–888–321–MINT (6468). A shipping and handling fee of $3.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders.