Rating the State Quarters
With the State Quarter program now over, it may be
time to reflect back on the program and determine which
designs will stand the test of time and which ones will be
scorned.
The State Quarter program kicked off in 1999 and was to end at the end of
2008. It has since been extended to add the US Territories to the program.
Whether they should have been there from the beginning is a matter of debate for
another time. The purpose of this article is to review the best and worst
designs.
Coin Art is a matter of personal opinion and what appeals to one person may
not appeal to another. With that in mind, I need to state that these are my
opinions. At the end of this article will be a link where you can state your
opinions on each and every design.
My top 5 Designs in no order are Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, North Dakota and
Minnesota.
The Arizona design fully depicts the beauty of AZ. The design is full and
rich. The sun, a cactus and the Grand Canyon, that says it all.
The Alaska design depicts the wild beauty of Alaska, or at least what is
left. Seriously, a grizzly bear emerging from the water with a salmon in his/her
mouth? Awesome! Also, there is a waterfall in the back rather than just a stream
to add additional detail to a wonderful design.
The Colorado design shows the high mountains with pine trees surrounding the
base. One can just imagine the snow capped peaks, the smell of pine and the
wildlife that his hidden beneath it all. If you are a skier, than you are likely
to be imagining coming down one of those peaks at full speed.
The North Dakota design shows the great American Bison on the grass lands
with the sun in the background as well as canyons and buttes. The image of the
bison is very nice.
The Minnesota design depicts someone fishing on a calm lake with the forest
in the background. Known as the "Land or 10,000 lakes", it is only fitting that
this is what ended up in the Minnesota coin.
Now, my bottom 5 is also in no order. Let me first say that when sorting a
group of objects, something or someone has to be on top and someone has to be on
the bottom. It does not necessarily mean they are bad. Remember, there were
hundreds of other designs that never made it to a coin. My bottom five, or least
appealing designs in no particular order are Connecticut, Wyoming, Kansas,
Michigan, and Wisconsin
I have the Connecticut design on my list because at first glance it is just a
dead tree. Unless you know about the history, you would not know what this
represents. So, for most Americans, it is just a dead tree.
Wyoming made the due to the flatness of the design. While it was apparently
intentional, it just does not give any artistic flair. It is just boring.
The Kansas quarter made the list as I do not like the look of the bison. It
also has too much open space. The coin could have had more to it.
Michigan made the list as it is merely an outline of the state and the
surrounding great lakes. Yes it is the Great Lakes state, but the UP is
overshadowed by the lakes.
Finally, Wisconsin made the list as the site of a cow and cheese on a coin
just does not seem right. Yes, Wisconsin is America's Dairy Land and should be
proud of it, but maybe a picture of a Harley Davidson would have been nice.
After all, isn't a Harley the dream of every American man?
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little rant about the state quarter program. As
promised, read the box below to get links to the opinions of other people on
each state quarter as well as the opportunity for you.
Keith Scott has been a collector for over 30 years. His website has
US coins for sale. He also writes
Coin Collecting Articles for fun. Visit his websites for a history of US coins,
metal market updates and news about your favorite coins.
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