WASHINGTON — The United States Mint announced today that commemorative quarter–dollar coins honoring California, the first coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program to be released in 2005, will go on sale beginning January 31, 2005, at 12:00 noon (ET), and will be available for purchase during the 10–week release period. The California quarter–dollars are available in two–roll sets (40 coins per roll), including one roll each from the United States Mint facilities at Philadelphia and Denver, and in bags of 100 and 1,000 coins.
On September 9, 1850, California was admitted into the Union, becoming our Nation’s 31st State. Nicknamed the “Golden State,” California’s quarter depicts naturalist and conservationist John Muir admiring Yosemite Valley’s monolithic granite headwall known as Half Dome. Soaring between the naturalist and the mountain is a California condor. The coin bears the inscriptions “California,” “John Muir,” “Yosemite Valley” and “1850.”
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, “CA” designating the State of California, and “$10” representing its dollar value. Two–roll sets will sell for $32.00, bags of 100 coins for $35.50, and bags of 1,000 coins for $300.00. Each bag is marked with the mint of origin and the dollar value of its contents ($25.00 or $250.00). These two–roll sets and bags feature quarters used in regular transactions and are struck on our main production floors at the United States Mint facilities at Philadelphia and Denver. There is no order limit on these products.
Customers can purchase the California quarter–dollars 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 (872–6468). As an added convenience, customers can participate in an Online Subscription program in which specific products, such as two–roll sets and bags, are charged and shipped to the customer automatically as each new 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 have an additional charge of $7.95 per bag because of their weight and size.