Starting in 1999, the United States mint began to issue quarter dollar coins (generally known as "quarters") commemorating each of the 50 states. Between 1999 and 2008, a commemorative coin was released every ten weeks, in the order the Constitution was ratified by each state. Each quarter's reverse had a design that was symbolic of the state it commemorated.
I am not a numismatist, but I had always collected the odd coin, here and there - a few old coins that had belonged to my father and step-father, foreign coins from the countries I've been to, the Bicentennial quarters, etc. When the state coins came out, I started collecting them, too, and got my then six-year old daughter interested in them, as well (there was a built-in geography lesson, in there, as well, but she wasn't interested in geography, unfortunately).
It wasn't long before companies came out with a display holder for the coins, including a cardboard fold out with a map of the United States with slots for the coins, but I wasn't willing to spend the amounts of money at which they were selling. I also didn't send away for the new coins as they were minted. I just collected the different quarters when I received them as change during a regular transaction, and put them in a lidded tin. Later, at a discount store, I found a fold out map, designed to hold the coins, for $2.99, which was more in my price range, and I bought it, so daughter and I could display our coins:
 |
| The box for the coin holder |
The box still has the price tag on it!
 |
| The price tag is still on it! |
Inside, there is a fold out map with a blue cover:
 |
| Map Cover |
(I have the box because I store the display map in the box!)
The problem with collecting these coins (especially in the casual manner in which I did) was the fact that, at the rate of 5 state coins being issued per year (1 state coin every 10 weeks) it took 10 years to mint all 50 quarters and that is a long time to keep up the interest. My daughter at 6 years of age might have been excited about collecting those coins, but at 16 years of age, she wasn't interested in it, at all! In addition to her lack of interest, the years between 2000 and 2006 were hard ones for me due to my mother's failing health and I had other things on my mind besides checking the quarters I received. So, I, too, stopped actively collecting them.
Yet, every now and then, I'd set aside a state quarter and check to see if I had it in the collection. Eventually, I got down to just 5 quarters needed to finish the collection; I wrote down the names of the states and began to keep an eye out for those particular quarters.
These days, I use four quarters every day for the shuttle bus (to go from where I park my car to the new office and back). Every week, I pick out $5 worth of quarters and put them in a baggie and keep in my purse. As I do so, I set aside any state quarters unless I am sure I already have them.
Yesterday, I sat down with the coins I had set aside and filled in a few more spots. The collection is almost complete!
 |
| The Fold-Out Map with Quarters |
Yes, it has taken me an additional 10 years to fill in most of the slots! But that's OK. All I need now is the state quarter for Arizona, to complete the collection!
 |
| Still searching for Arizona! |
My daughter laughed at me, when I texted her to tell her about it; I've asked her to look through any .
I am now searching for Arizona! I hope I'll find one, one of these days! I don't think a complete collection will have any additional value, over and above the value of the coins, themselves, but, maybe, one day, it will be a family "heirloom"?
Do you collect coins? Did you collect the State quarters when they first came out? If so, did you complete the collection?
I collected State quarters. I don't think I have the complete collection though. Like you, I put it aside and completely forgot about it. My coin holder has two slots per State, for P and D. I have to check what I'm missing.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting that your coin holder has spaces for coins with different mint marks! That makes it a little more challenging to collect the coins, I think. I hope you don't need many additional coins and can complete your collection, soon. :)
DeleteI remember when collecting the state coins was a big thing. We started it with our kids, too, but they just spent the money when I wasn't looking. I guess they weren't interested either. I gave away our big holders when I moved. Good luck finding Arizona.
ReplyDeleteI guess there was much fanfare when it was first started and the interest was high. I think it would have been better if they had been able to mint them faster - maybe 2 states at a time, so that the series could have been minted in 5 years instead of 10. Maybe I'll give it all away, once I've found that last coin! That's what I did with my stamp collection - I gave it to a friend's husband who admired it. :)
DeleteGood luck with finding the Arizona coin to complete your collection. I don't collect coins but my late partner did and amassed a huge collection which has now gone to auction.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Eileen. I hope your late partner's collection goes to someone who will appreciate and enjoy it.
DeleteWow good for you! I remember those. My kids had them. Didn't last too long and eventually the quarters were spent.
ReplyDeleteSharon, I guess one of the reasons behind it was to get kids interested with the hopes that there will be a whole new generation of coin collectors. But I don't know if that worked out quite as planned. :)
DeleteAt least you don't have to "Raise Arizona." LOL
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, definitely! Although, I didn't see the movie! :D
DeleteHow interesting that so many were produced. I think I would have been interested in that as a young child, but at 16 I'd have probably been like your daughter! My dad had a modest coin collection that I have never done anything with. One day perhaps I'll get someone to take a look. imagine if I'b been sitting on a fortune all these years!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should get his collection appraised, Eloise! You never know!
DeleteWe regularly have "fancy" coins produced and at one time I was collecting them and had a special folder with places for that year for every Canadian province and the territories. They are in a box somewhere. I try not to collect now, but every once in a while I get a particularly interesting coin in my change and can't resist setting it aside. Once in a while I find a US quarter, so if I ever come across one for Arizona I must find a way to send it to you!
ReplyDeleteI, too, have stopped actively collecting coins, except for this one set; I didn't collect the next set of commemorative coins. But I still have all the other coins I collected in a decorative tin! Should probably go through them and decide what I want done with them. And then, there's my penny collection! LOL! I said it was going to be the down payment for my first car and when I bought the car without using my pennies, I said it was going to be the down payment for my house! Well, I bought and paid off the house and the collection is still there! At one time, I started rolling them up, but then, I stopped doing that. I could take them to a coin machine, but I don't want to give them the 10% fee!
DeleteHaha. I feel the same way about rolling coins. I don't want to pay anyone anything for a job I can do well myself. Except that I LOVE rolling coins. It is kind of mindless and therapeutic, like filing. Except I have just now remembered, you don't like filing either. Every now and again, I will go through my change jar, which has nothing larger than a dime, and see how many rolls of each coin I have. Periodically, I take them to the bank teller to make a deposit. But that is a rarity, because I usually spend all the coins in my purse before I break a bill.
ReplyDeleteI guess I need to be "in the mood" to file and roll coins! Need to think of them as therapeutic/meditative tasks! At one time, I used to collect all the coins in my wallet at the end of the week, count and put it into an envelope, and that was my "spending money" for treats, etc. Now I just empty it all into a container and it sits there, waiting for me to do something with it!
Delete