By Scott Wong for The Arizona Republic

Thousands of Arizonans, from schoolchildren to grandparents to state dignitaries, packed the Capitol lawn Monday for the roll out of the state commemorative quarter. The celebration, replete with an old-fashioned red stagecoach, mariachi band and free mint ice-cream drumsticks, marked the culmination of a public process that began three years ago with more than 4,000 quarter designs.

It also offered coin collectors their first chance to get their hands on the much-anticipated Arizona quarter.

Featuring a saguaro cactus against the backdrop of the Grand Canyon, the coin is the 48th in the U.S. Mint’s decade-old 50 State Quarters Program. The Mint plans to release Alaska and Hawaii coins later this year.

“When I bought the (collectable coin) folders, I didn’t know if I’d still be alive when it was done,” Scottsdale resident Charles Clark, 69, said before picking up a pair of quarter rolls for coin sets he plans to present to his granddaughters. “It’s gonna wrap up this year, and I think I’m gonna make it.”

State Capitol police estimated that more than 5,000 people were on hand.

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Guam Gov. Felix P. Camacho yesterday released two designs for the Guam quarter prepared by artists of the U.S. Mint as part of the District of Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program.

Each design can be voted on and the design with the highest amount of votes will be recommended to the U.S. Mint. Votes will be collected until June 14, 2008.

“I encourage all residents to take part in the selection process,” Camacho said. “The Guam quarter will be a lasting symbol of our heritage and our people.”

Camacho submitted the two design narratives selected from 59 submissions from the people of Guam.

The U.S. Mint has spent the past two months working closely with the Guam Quarter Dollar Program Design Evaluation and Selection Process Task Force in developing the designs that are emblematic of Guam. Final designs for the Guam quarter are expected to be completed by July.

A provision of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (Section 622 Section 5112 of Title 31 United States Code), signed by President Bush on Dec. 26, 2007, authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a series of circulating commemorative quarter-dollar coins in 2009 with reverse designs emblematic of the U.S. Territories.

The image of George Washington as seen on the obverse of the 50 State Quarters coins will remain unchanged. The reverse of each quarter will be distinctly different with images emblematic of the District of Columbia and each of the U.S. territories. (PR)

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ON THE NET: http://guamgovernor.net/content/view/118/1/

Are you yearning to see the panoramic vistas of the Grand Canyon but cannot make the trip? Do the next best thing and get shiny new Arizona commemorative quarter-dollar coins, available in bags and rolls beginning June 2 at 12 noon (ET). Customers may order as many of these options as they like. There is no order limit.

The Arizona quarter is the 48th coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program. The coin’s reverse features an image of the Grand Canyon with a Saguaro cactus in the foreground. A banner reading “Grand Canyon State” separates the two images to signify that the Saguaro cactus does not grow in the Grand Canyon. The coin also bears the inscriptions “Arizona” and “1912.”

The coins contained in the bags and rolls were struck at United States Mint facilities at Denver and Philadelphia for use in general circulation. The two-roll sets, offered at $32.95, include one roll each of 40 coins bearing the “D” and “P” mintmarks. The coins are wrapped in distinctive packaging bearing the 50 State Quarters logo, the mint of origin, the official state abbreviation and the dollar value of the contents. The 100- and 1,000-coin bags are offered at $32.95 and $309.95, respectively. Each canvas bag has a tag with the mint of origin and the state abbreviation. (more…)

In honor of Louisa Adams, the Nation’s sixth First Lady, the United States Mint will release a ½-ounce 24-karat gold coin bearing her image at 12 noon (ET) on May 29, 2008. The Louisa Adams First Spouse Gold Coin will be available in proof and uncirculated versions priced at $619.95 and $599.95, respectively. The mintage limit is set at 40,000 across both product options. Customer demand will determine the ratio of proof to uncirculated coins produced.

Orders for the Louisa Adams First Spouse Gold Coin will be limited to one per product option per household for the first week of sales. The United States Mint will reevaluate this limit following the initial sales period and either extend, adjust or eliminate it.

Bronze medals bearing the likeness of the coin also will be available for $3.50. There is no mintage or order limit for this option.

It could not have been easy for Louisa Catherine Adams, wife of our Nation’s sixth President, John Quincy Adams, to follow in the footsteps of her esteemed mother-in-law and former First Lady Abigail Adams. Despite her predecessor’s legacy, however, Louisa-an accomplished musician, hostess and writer on the subjects of women’s rights and abolitionism-managed to make her mark in Washington society and in political circles. Louisa staunchly supported her husband’s career and was invaluable in furthering his initiatives.

The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Louisa Adams designed by Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Susan Gamble and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill. Inscriptions on the coin are “Louisa Adams” and “1825-1829,” the years she served as First Spouse. Additional inscriptions on the coin’s obverse include “In God We Trust,” “Liberty” and “2008.” (more…)

By Ken Potter, Numismatic News

An Ohio trio, Richard Stachurski and his grandsons Zak and Joe El khamiri, has found what may be the first Missing Clad Layer error reported on a 2008-P John Quincy Adams Presidential dollar.

According to Stachurski, he and his grandsons routinely search Presidential dollars for errors with each of the boys assigned different tasks based on age. Four-year-old Joe is assigned the task of clearing away the wrappers from which the coins are quickly removed by 8-year-old Zak who passes them on to Stachurski, who does the actual searching.

Stachurski, said that the find was interesting in that the error was located in the third roll searched from a box containing 28 rolls obtained from a Charter One bank in Ohio. He said that the teller told him that somebody had already gone through the first 12 rolls in the box (which originally contained 40 rolls or 1,000 dollar coins) and advised him that there were no errors to be found.

Apparently the original searcher was looking for repetitive types such as plain edge or double edge lettered errors where several to many were generally found in boxes that contained them for the Washington and Adams dollars. The original searcher apparently gave up after searching a dozen rolls feeling there was nothing to be found

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