ARIZONA QUARTER RELEASED TO PUBLIC
Governor introduces Arizona quarter, Arizona children receive first quarters

PHOENIX – Governor Janet Napolitano and United States Mint Director Edmund C. Moy launched the Arizona quarters into circulation – giving Arizona children in attendance the first quarters minted.

“When Americans reach into their pockets, this quarter will remind them of two iconic images of Arizona and the American West – the Grand Canyon and Saguaro Cactus,” Governor Napolitano said. “Enjoy them, collect them, and spend them with pride in our great state.”

The official Arizona quarter launch ceremony took place outside the Arizona State Capitol, at an event complete with local celebrities, music and free mint ice cream drumsticks.

Wells Fargo, the bank of the quarter launch, supplied newly-minted rolls of Arizona quarters in exchange for $10 bills. Commemorative folios featuring a Denver minted quarter were available for purchase at for $10. Limited-edition and numbered folios featuring a Philadelphia minted quarter were available for $20.

After securing a quarter, event participants explored the Capitol Museum featuring two new exhibits documenting the quarter from conception to circulation. The first exhibit is especially designed to travel throughout the state and be displayed in local communities across Arizona. The Museum has also added the Arizona Quarter to its permanent exhibit, “Arizona State Symbols.” 

The Arizona State Quarter traveling exhibit consists of three self-contained, rollup banners that tell the story of the quarter. The traveling exhibit will be available on short-term loan to cultural and civic organizations throughout the state of Arizona For more information contact the Arizona State, Library, Archives and Public Records at 602-926-3620 or services@lib.az.us.

Arizona Lottery, Arizona Office of Tourism, Arizona Republic, APS, Bashas’, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona, Dreyer’s, E.B. Lane, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., PRfect Media, SRP, and Wells Fargo were sponsors of the quarter launch event.

The Arizona quarter’s unique side features the Grand Canyon with a Saguaro Cactus in the foreground. A banner reading “Grand Canyon State” separates the two images. The coin also bears the inscriptions “Arizona” and “1912.”

The Arizona quarter is the 48th release in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters Program. It marks the third quarter release of 2008. State quarter releases coincide with state’s entry into the Union. The program began in 1999 and will conclude this year when the 50th quarter – Hawaii’s – is released. Arizona was admitted into the Union February 14, 1912 as the last of the contiguous states.

For those unable to attend today’s ceremony, commemorative folios may be purchased in three ways: In Phoenix, they will be sold at the State Capitol Museum gift shop. In Tucson, they will be sold at the UA Bookstore in the Student Union Memorial Center. Online, they will be available on the UA Bookstore's Web site www.uofabookstores.com.