WASHINGTON — The United States Mint announced today that state quarters honoring Arkansas, the fifth coin in the 50 State Quarters Program to be released in 2003, will go on sale beginning October 20, 2003, at 12:00 noon (Eastern Time), and will be available for purchase during the 10–week release period. The Arkansas 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 Arkansas quarters are also available as part of the United States Mint’s popular Subscription Program.
The Arkansas quarter is the final quarter of 2003, and the 25th in the 50 State Quarters Program. Arkansas was admitted into the Union on June 15, 1836. Arkansas was acquired through the Louisiana Purchase and later became the Arkansas Territory before gaining statehood. The Arkansas quarter design bears the image of rice stalks, a diamond and a mallard gracefully flying above a lake, celebrating the outstanding resources of the “Natural State.”
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, “AR” designating the State of Arkansas, 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 Arkansas 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 $4.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders. Quarter bags of 1,000 coins will also have an additional charge of $7.95 per bag due to weight and size.