Hawaii State Quarter Release November 3

The 2008 Hawaii State Quarter will be released into circulation on Monday, November 3, 2008. This will mark the final coin of the 50 State Quarters Program.

The reverse design of the Hawaii Quarter features a statue of King Kamehameha I. He was responsible for unifying the governance of the Hawaiian Islands in the early 1800's. The ruler is depicted with his right hand outstretched towards the eight main Hawaiian Islands. An inscription is included which translates to "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959.

The US Mint will offer Hawaii Quarters through the Bags and Rolls Program. Two-Roll Sets of Hawaii Quarters from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints will be available priced at $32.95. 100-Coin and 1,000 Coin Bags will be available priced at $32.95 and $309.95 respectively. These will both go on sale November 3, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET.

Since the 50 State Quarter Program began in 1999, the US Mint has produced more than 33 billion State Quarters. The State with the highest production was the 2001 Virginia Quarter with almost 1.6 billion produced. According to the US Mint approximately 147 million Americans collect State Quarters. The US government has made an estimated $4.6 billion from collectors taking the coins out of circulation. (This figure is from a Congressional Budget Office Report released in 2005 so the current amount may be even greater.)

Next year a separate program will begin known as The District of Columbia and United States Territories Quarter Program. This will honor other jurisdictions which are not states. This includes Washington DC, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

2008 State Quarter Products Released

A few final products from the US Mint's recently released 2008 Gift Catalog feature this year's State Quarters.

The first product is the 2008 Hawaii First Day Coin Cover. Hawaii Quarters from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints are on a custom display card. One of the four 42 cent Flags 24/7 stamps are included. The postmark will be November 3, 2008, the first day Hawaii Quarters are released to the public. The covers are limited to 35,000 and priced at $14.95.

The second product is the 2008 50 State Quarters Greetings from America Card Set. These are baseball card sized cards that each include one quarter and one stamp. The stamps are from the Greetings from America stamp series. The cards are for the five quarters released in 2008: Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii. The set is priced at $27.99.

The last product is the 2008 50 State Quarters Greetings from America Portfolio. This is similar to the card set, but the coins and stamps are inlcuded in a portfolio with scenic photographs from each state. There are also Certificates of Authenticity signed by the United States Mint Director and Postmaster General. The portfolios are priced at $29.99.

The cards and portfolios from all prior years back to 1999 are actually still available for sale on the US Mint's website. You can find them here.

Sales for all of the above products began today October 27, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET. Although orders are being accepted, shipping for all of these products is delayed since the unreleased Hawaii Quarter is included. The US Mint's website states that the products will be available for shipping on December 15, 2008.

As mentioned these products were included in the 2008 Gift Catalog, which included several other products which were released today. You can check my prior posts for the other products:

2008 US Mint Gift Catalog
2008 Presidential Dollar Products
2008 American Legacy Collection

2008 Alaska First Day Cover on sale September 30

The 2008 Alaska First Day Coin Cover goes on sale at the United States Mint on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET.

The cover will include two 2008 Alaska State Quarters, one from the Philadelphia Mint and one Denver Mint. The postage stamp will be a 42 cent Flags 24/7 stamp. The post mark for the cover will be August 25, 2008, Denali Park, Alaska. This is the first day Alaska Quarters were released to the public.

The covers are priced at $14.95 and production is limited to 35,000. The Mint's product page is already posted here.

This marks the 49th State in the State Quarter First Day Coin Cover Series.

2008 Alaska State Quarter Rolls & Bags

2008 Alaska State Quarter Bags and Rolls will go on sale August 25, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET. This will correspond with the official release of the quarters into circulation.

Alaska is the fourth State Quarter released during 2008, and the 49th release in the overall program.

A Two-Roll Set will be available which includes one roll from the Philadelphia Mint and one roll from the Denver Mint. This offering will be priced at $32.95 per set.

100-Coin Bags and 1,000-Coin Bags will also be available. Separate bags are offered for Philadelphia and Denver Mint coins. The 100-Coin Bags are offered at $32.95 and the 1,000-Coin Bags are offered at $309.95.

The Mint's product pages can be found at the following locations, although ordering options won't be available until the official start of sales.

Two Roll Set
100-Coin Bag Philadelphia
1,000-Coin Bag Philadelphia
100-Coin Bag Denver
1,000-Coin Bag Denver

2008 Arizona First Day Cover on Sale June 30

The 2008 Arizona Official First Day Coin Cover will go on sale at the US Mint on Monday June 30, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET. The product page is already available on the Mint's website here.

The cover will include two 2008 Arizona State Quarters, one each from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints, along with a 42 cent Flags 24/7 postage stamp. The cover will have a postmark of June 2, 2008 from Grand Canyon, AZ. This marks the first day Arizona Quarters were released into circulation.

The covers are priced at $14.95 and production is limited to 35,000.

This marks the 48th State in the State Quarter First Day Coin Cover Series.

2008 Arizona State Quarter Rolls and Bags

2008 Arizona State Quarter Bags and Rolls will go on sale at the Mint on June 2, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET.

Arizona is the third State Quarter released in 2008 and the 48th coin in the overall program.

Product options will include a Two-Roll Set, 100-Coin Bags, and 1,000-Coin Bags.

The Two-Roll Set includes one roll from the Philadelphia Mint and one roll from the Denver Mint. The rolls are in special US Mint wraps. Each set is priced at $32.95.

The 100-Coin Bags and 1,000 Coin Bags will be available for either Philadelphia or Denver Mint Coins. The 100-Coin Bags are priced at $32.95 and the 1,000-Coin Bags are priced at $309.95.

The Mint's product pages are now online, but sales options will not open until the official start date of sales.

Two Roll Set
100-Coin Bag Philadelphia
1,000-Coin Bag Philadelphia
100-Coin Bag Denver
1,000-Coin Bag Denver

2008 New Mexico First Day Cover on Sale May 8

The 2008 New Mexico Official First Day Coin Cover will go on sale at the US Mint tomorrow May 8, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET. The product page is already available here.

The cover will include two 2008 New Mexico State Quarters, one each from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints, along with a 41 cent American Flag postage stamp. The cover will have a postmark of April 8, 2008 from Zia Pueblo, NM.

The covers are priced at $14.95 and production is limited to 35,000.

This marks the 47th State in the State Quarter First Day Coin Cover Series.

2008 New Mexico State Quarter Rolls and Bags on Sale April 7

Bags and rolls of 2008 New Mexico State Quarters are scheduled to go on sale at the US Mint on April 7, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET.

New Mexico will be the second State Quarter released for 2008 and the 47th coin in the overall program.

The Two-Roll Set will include one roll from the Philadelphia Mint and one roll from the Denver Mint in special US Mint wrappers. The Set is priced at $32.95.

Bags of Philadelphia and Denver Mint Quarters will be available in sizes of 100-Coins or 1,000-Coins. The 100 Coin Bags are priced at $32.95 and the 1,000 Coin Bags are priced at $309.95.

The Mint's product pages have been posted, but sales options will not be available until the official start of sales.

Two Roll Set
100-Coin Bag Philadelphia
100-Coin Bag Denver
1,000-Coin Bag Philadelphia
1,000-Coin Bag Denver

Oklahoma First Day Coin Covers on Sale Today

The 2008 Oklahoma Official First Day Coin Cover will go on sale at the Mint today, February 27, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET.

The cover will include two Oklahoma State Quarters (one each from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints) from the first day of mintage. The card will have a 41 cent American Flag postage stamp with the postmark of January 28, 2008, the day Oklahoma Quarters were released.

The covers are priced at $14.95 and are limited to a production of 35,000. The Mint's product page is available here.

These covers have not traditionally been strong sell sellers, but may present a longer term value. Earlier State Quarters had much higher production limits than the 2007 and 2008 State Quarter Coin Covers. In 1999, productions were set at 100,000, but declined steadily as the series moved on.

Also of interest, NGC has been encapsulating and grading these First Day Coin Covers. The entire cover is placed in a special holder with a separate grade for each coin. Full details and instructions for submission are here.

2008 State Quarters Silver Proof Sets on Sale Today

Sales of the 2008 State Quarters Silver Proof Set will begin today February 25, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET.

This set will include 90% silver versions of the 2008 State Quarters featuring:

• Oklahoma Quarter - "Scissortail Flycatcher"
• New Mexico Quarter - "Land of Enchantment"
• Arizona Quarter - "Grand Canyon State"
• Alaska Quarter - "The Great Land"
• Hawaii Quarter - "King Kamehameha I"

The sets are priced at $25.95, which is the same price as last year's State Quarter Silver Proof Set. The Mint's product page is located here, although ordering won't be available until later today.

The 2007 State Quarter Silver Proof Sets are still available for sale here.

Oklahoma Quarter Bags and Rolls Scheduled for Release Today

Bags and rolls of 2008 Oklahoma Quarters are scheduled to go on sale today, January 28, 2008 at 12:00 Noon ET.

Oklahoma is the first of the 2008 State Quarters to be released, and the 46th coin in the overall program.

100-coin and 1,000-coin bags will be available at the price of $32.95 and $309.95, respectively. Two-roll sets, which contain one roll each of P and D mint coins, will be available for $32.95 per set.

Other recently released products have had some delays as the Mint continues to get back on track following the recent outage. The 2008 Kennedy Half Bags and Rolls, which were scheduled to be released January 17, only recently became available on the US Mint's website. The 2008 Sacagawea Dollar Bags and Rolls are still not found for sale on the website. The 2008 State Quarters Proof Set, which were scheduled for release on January 24 are currently only available for ordering by phone according to a message on the website's home page.

Update: The bags and rolls of Oklahoma Quarters have gone on sale, but currently can only be ordered by phone.

Update #2: Now available for ordering through the US Mint's website.

2008 State Quarters Proof Set on Sale Tomorrow (Maybe)

The US Mint just announced that the 2008 State Quarters Proof Set will go on sale tomorrow January 24, 2008.

This annual set contains proof versions of all of the year's State Quarters. This year's set will contain the quarters honoring Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii. Notably, these are the last of the "State Quarters." Although 2009 will see the release of six additional quarters to honor US Territories and the District of Columbia.

As of the writing of this post, the US Mint's website ordering system is still down. So there is the potential that sales might be delayed until this is restored. Sales of bags and rolls of 2008 Sacagawea Dollars and Kennedy Halves were scheduled to be released this week, but have been delayed.

When will the Mint's website be restored? Still no definite date, but hopefully soon.

Related:
2009 Quarters for District of Columbia, U.S. Territories
US Mint Website Outage Day Seven

2007 State Quarter First Day Covers- Sleeper Hit?

CoinWorld recently had an interesting article on the First Day Cover offerings from the US Mint. While these products have been little publicized, several of the issues have sold out from the Mint and are commanding premiums on the secondary market. Could the 2007 State Quarter First Day Covers be the sleeper hit of 2007?

When the State Quarter First Day covers were first issued in 1999, the maximum authorized mintages were set at 100,000 per state. Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey all managed to sell out at this level, but sales started dropping for the subsequent states. As a result, the Mint reduced the maximum mintage for the 2000 states to 75,000. As sales continued to wane, the Mint reduced maximum mintages for 2005 states to 50,000.

The 2007 states have the lowest ever maximum authorized mintage of 35,000 per state. The sales figures for a few states are now coming very close to sell out levels. Here are the sales figures from Numismaster:

Montana: 27,723 / 35,000
Washington: 31,664 / 35,000
Idaho: 24,156 / 35,000
Wyoming: 22,822 / 35,000
Utah: 20,440 / 35,000

Like State First Day Covers for previous years, the 2007 States will likely stay on sale until there is a sell out. When this eventually happens, these states will join the few states that have sold out and are no longer available at the Mint. They will also be amongst the State First Day Covers with the lowest sales figures. This makes a good case for some secondary market appreciation.

Note that on ebay, the First Day covers command the highest prices when they are still in the unopened Mint mailers. So if you are considering buying for later resale, leave them in the sealed mailers.

All 2007 State Quarter First Day Covers are still available from the US Mint for $14.95.

Utah Quarter Bags and Rolls

Yesterday Utah Quarter Bags and Rolls went on sale at the US Mint. Utah is the fifth and final coin this year for the 50 State Quarters Program. The reverse of the Utah coin features two locomotives and the "Golden Spike" that joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads.

The Two-Roll Sets includes one each "P" and "D" mint mark rolls in custom US Mint wrappers. The price per set is $32.95.

The Bags are available in either 100-Coin or 1,000-Coin sizes, in custom Mint sewn canvas bags. Separate bags are available for "P" and "D" mint marks. The mini 100-Coin Bags are priced at $32.95 per bag. The 1,000-Coin Bags are priced at $309.95 per bag.