North Dakota Quarter Released

The North Dakota quarter is out in the wild.

The U.S. Mint began producing North Dakota’s state quarter Wednesday, a coin that officials believe will help promote the state.

“This coin is going to do a great job conveying to everybody in the United States, and the world for that matter, the great image that we have in North Dakota,” Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple said Wednesday during a ceremony at the Mint’s coin-making plant in Denver.

The 25-cent piece features the familiar George Washington profile on one side and two grazing bison, with western Badlands buttes and the setting sun as a backdrop, on the other.

The coin will begin circulating later this month. An official North Dakota rollout is scheduled Aug. 30 at the state Capitol.

The quarters will be manufactured in Denver and Philadelphia, and at least 400 million coins are expected to be produced.

The Mint is making special quarters to commemorate each of the 50 states. The first coins, honoring Delaware, were issued in January 1999. North Dakota’s quarter is the 39th state quarter to be struck.

(via Bismarck Tribune)