http://www.statequarters.com/News/2006/061906.aspRumor has it
Lore and legend behind State
quarters often have no basis in fact
posted 6/6/06
By Michele Orzano
Coin World Staff
Click on image to enlarge
Before anyone out there asks - the answer is no.
An off-the-cuff remark by Colorado Gov. Bill Owens might have some collectors thinking the 2006 Colorado
State Quarter dollar bears a misspelling.
In a May 24 Denver Post article about the first-strike ceremony at the U.S. Mint facility in Denver, Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, standing in the spotlight of television cameras as he examines a freshly struck
State Quarter, is quoted as joking, "We misspelled Colorado."
Though Owens quickly pronounced the coins perfect, it's entirely possible that this quip will work its way into the lore and legend of the
State Quarter program.
Collectors of
State Quarters have probably heard more than their share of "jokes," like the one that goes, "What kind of horse is on the 1999 Delaware quarter?" (A quarter horse.) Or how about the one that purportedly says the U.S. Treasury is recalling a certain state's quarter because it is jamming up coin-operated devices. Supposedly the problem originates in the "unique design of the duct tape holding the two dimes and the nickel together."
For a while after the 2001 North Carolina quarter was issued,
Coin World regularly received e-mails and telephone calls about the "mistake" on the North Carolina coin. The comments generally ran something like this: "The North Carolina quarter has the wrong wording on it. Someone told me that it should say 'First in Flight' instead of 'First Flight.' The one with the wrong wording are supposed to be recalled and new ones made." (Or the often-seen variation, "The ones with the wrong wording are worth lots of money.")
Many people incorrectly assumed that the motto on the coin would match that of North Carolina's license plate. But no mistake was made on the motto used on the 1,055,476,000 North Carolina quarters struck by the U.S. Mint. The coin's motto was a reference to the theme of the state's celebration marking the 2003 centennial of the first powered flight on Dec. 17, 1903, by Wilbur and Orville Wright at Kitty Hawk, N.C. The license plate motto has been used since 1981 and has no bearing on the design of the North Carolina quarter.
Mistakes can happen on any coin struck by the U.S. Mint and there have been plenty of minor and even major errors and varieties reported. But none of these have prompted the federal government to "recall" any
State Quarter.
No matter what you're finding in your pocket change these days, enjoy those little pieces of art you come across daily.
Posted 06/08/2006 2:00 pm
