The Best and the Worst of the 50 State Quarters, Part 3

This is my third post rating the designs of each of the 50 state quarters. I suggest starting with the first post, which gives the background and explains the criteria I'm using for grading. This time I'm looking at the 5 quarters from Year 5 (2003) and Year 6 (2004). 

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2003 - Year 5 of the 50 State Quarters Program

The Illinois quarter shows Abraham Lincoln within the outline of the state. In the backgrounnd, there is a farm scene on the left and the Chicago skyline on the right. There are 21 stars, signifying that Illinois is the 21st state. Overall, it's a nice quarter that represents different parts of the state well. I have two complaints: I don't like the font and spacing choices for the text. And I really don't like the addition of the century part of "21st State - Century." I get that we were barely (3 years) into the 21st century when the quarter came out and that they wanted to portray Illinois as a modern state with present-day importance, but it doesn't have any meaningful connection to being the 21st state. Aesthetics: 3, representation 4, education 1, for a total of 8. 

 

The Alabama quarter design features an image of Helen Keller (born in Tuscumbia, Alabama) with her name in English and in Braille (a super cool element) and a banner saying Spirit of Courage. The quarter also has a branch of Alabama's state tree, the long leaf pine, as well as a flower. The Mint says it's a magnolia, but other sources say it's the state flower, a camellia. That makes more sense. Aesthetics 3, representation 4, education 1, for a total of 8. 

Maine's quarter shows the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and a sailing schooner. The design is nice enough, but doesn't wow me. Aesthetics 3, representation 3, education 1, for a total of 7. 

Missouri's quarter shows Lewis and Clark’s return to St. Louis on the Missouri River. The Gateway Arch is in the background, with “Corps of Discovery 1804-2004” printed above it. I don't love this design; neither does the man who won the contest that inspired the design. I've been to the Gateway Arch and it doesn't look much like that, nor does it cross the (Mississippi, not Missouri) River. It's strange the way the trees are bending inward on both sides of the river. I realize the quarter isn't meant to be a factual depiction, but it could have been a lot better. Aesthetics 2.5, representation 2, education 1, for a total of 5.5. 

The Arkansas quarter has rice stalks, a diamond and a mallard flying above a lake. Arkansas is the nation’s #1 rice producer and the only state where you can find diamonds, but I’m not sure what the mallard is doing there, unless it's to represent the duck hunting culture. It’s not the state bird, but there is a proposal (now, in 2025) to make it the state duck. Aesthetics 4, representation 3.5, education 1, for a total of 8.5.

That makes Arkansas my top design for 2003. The runners-up are Illinois and Alabama, followed by Maine and then Missouri. 

2004 - Year 6 of the 50 State Quarters Program

Michigan’s quarter has an outline of the state and the five Great Lakes. This would be a fine design if it represented the Great Lakes, but I don’t think it honors Michigan. Something about Motown and the car industry and cereal would better represent the state. Aesthetics 2, representation 1.5, education 0.5, for a total of 4. 

The Florida quarter design shows a 16th-century Spanish galleon, a space shuttle, and land with palm trees. Together, these items show Florida as the “Gateway to Discovery.” It’s a good theme, but I really don’t like the design. Aesthetics 1, representation 3, education 1, for a total of 5. 

Texas’ quarter has a star over the state’s outline and the inscription, “The Lone Star State,” with rope symbolizing the state’s cowboy history around the edges. It’s simple... too simple. That empty space on the left could hold another symbol - a horseshoe or the state flower, for example. Aesthetics 2, representation 2.5, education 0.5, for a total of 5.

Iowa’s quarter is based on Grant Wood’s painting called Arbor Day and features a one-room schoolhouse with a teacher and students planting a tree. I get the Grant Wood / Iowa connection, but a one-room schoolhouse that looks like this could be found in most states. I tried to find out the meaning behind “Foundation in Education” and apparently it’s because Iowa had schools in place before becoming a state. I don’t know if that’s unique to Iowa. Aesthetics 2, representation 2, education 0.5, for a total of 5. 

Wisconsin leans into their agriculture with a quarter featuring a cow, cheese and corn, as well as the state motto, “Forward.” I like that America’s Dairyland emphasizes the importance of milk and cheese, but I would have replaced the cow with a bottle of milk, then added one or two more of their most important agricultural products. Wisconsin is the #1 producer of cranberries and string beans; those would make nice additions, as would brats. Or a kringle! Aesthetics 2.5, representation 3.5, education 1, for a total of 7.

My top quarter from this batch is Wisconsin, followed by Texas and Florida, then Iowa and Michigan. This group has the lowest average score of the 6 years of quarters I've graded so far. Tomorrow I'll look at how Year 7 and Year 8 did.