I recently finished coloring the last of 50 coloring pages, one for each of the 50 state quarters. Along the way, I developed some fairly strong opinions about the designs each state chose to represent themselves in the 50 State Quarters Program. I thought it would be fun to grade them on a rubric and determine which are the best and worst.
Before I get to that, I want to share a little about the design process. While the Secretary of the Treasury had what essentially amounted to veto power, the 50 states were in charge of creating their own design, by whatever method they wanted. Most states opted to have their citizens submit designs, with an advisory group selecting finalists, and then either the governor (33 states) or the citizenry (17 states) making the final selection. Each state could choose whatever they felt best represented their unique history, traditions, and symbols, with a few exceptions. No design could include the state flag or state seal, an image of a living person, or a head-and-shoulder image of a deceased person. Also banned were any "frivolous or inappropriate" designs, as well as "logos or depictions of specific commercial, private, educational, civic, religious, sports or other organizations whose membership or ownership is not universal." Instead, the designs should feature "state landmarks (natural
and man-made), landscapes, historically significant
buildings, symbols of state resources or industries,
official state flora and fauna, state icons and outlines of
the state." You can read more about the design process and requirements, starting on page 15.
The 50 State Quarter Program lasted for 10 years. Starting in 1999, five states' quarters were issued each year, in order of admission to the Union. The earliest states had a distinct disadvantage in creating their designs, having nothing to serve as examples. They designed from nothing and pioneered the statewide approval processes. Later states were able to look at already-released coins and learn from other states' experiences when selecting their own quarter design. Not only that, but in 2003, the Mint and Treasury Secretary made some changes to the design approval process, requiring a great emphasis on designs with "an educational value,
historical accuracy and artistic beauty." All this to say, it would be unfair to compare the quarters released in 1999 (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut) with quarters that came much later. For that reason, I'm going to be ranking the state quarters in groups by release date, not in comparison with each other. Each blog post will focus on two years at a time.
I am considering three factors in my grading:
- Aesthetically pleasing design that makes good use of the space (5 points)
- Unique design that represents the state well (4 points)
- Teaches viewers something about the state (1 point)
On to the rankings!
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1999 - Year 1 of the 50 State Quarters Program
Delaware's quarter features Caesar Rodney making a historic ride to Independence Hall on July 2, 1776, to cast the tie-breaking vote for independence. I like that the quarter mentions Delaware being the first state, but the design is somewhat plain. They could have incorporated another element to give a broader view of Delaware than just this single event. Maybe the state flower or tree for the horse to run by? I'm awarding this quarter 1.5 points for aesthetics, 1.5 for representation, and 1 for educational value, for a total of 4 points.
Connecticut's quarter features the famous Charter Oak, the tree used to hide the Connecticut Charter from British troops in 1687. Unfortunately, they chose an ugly representation of it. Compare this design to how it has appeared on a painting, stamp, and different coin. Aesthetics 0.5, representation 2, education 1 = 3.5 points.
So for Year 1 (1999), my winner is Georgia! The runner-up is New Jersey, followed by Pennsylvania, Delaware, and finally Connecticut.
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2000 - Year 2 of the 50 State Quarters Program
The sixth state, and thus the first quarter released in 2000, is Massachusetts. The design features “The Minuteman,” a famous statue at The Minuteman National
Historical Park in Concord, Massachusetts (here I am with The Minuteman), an outline of the state, plus its nickname. The design is simple but very well-balanced. I'm giving it 3 for aesthetics, 2.5 for representation, and 1 for education, for a total of 6.5.
Maryland's quarter features the top of the State House, surrounded by white oak branches and the
nickname “The Old Line State.” (We had a great view of the building from our hotel room!) I'm not crazy about using the top of a building to represent your entire state, even if it is the oldest capitol building still in use, and I don't like the way the state nickname is split (The Line. Old State.) Aesthetics 2, representation 2.5, education 1, for a total of 5.5.
The South Carolina quarter includes an outline of the state with a star designating the capital city (Columbia), along with the nickname and three of their state symbols: the palmetto tree, the Carolina wren and yellow jessamine. I really like this design. It's well-balanced and has a lot of elements without feeling crowded. Aesthetics 4.5, representation 4, education 1, for a total of 9.5.
The winner for Year 2 (2000) is South Carolina, my favorite quarter so far. The runner-up is Massachusetts, followed by Virginia, Maryland, and New Hampshire.
Tomorrow I'll look at the quarters from 2001 and 2002, the 3rd and 4th years of the 50 State Quarters Program.
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