Question about the Alabama state quarter

richbeat

David Ganz mentions in the latest COINage (Insider's Report) that: "Alabama's final recommendation for its quarter design features famous citizen Helen Keller. "The Spirit of Courage" theme of the coin will appear in regular design and Braille." Does this mean that there will be two versions of the Alabama quarter? I hope this doesn't start the precedence of the state quarter program going the way of TV Guide covers.

kranky

Also, there was a letter in this week's Numismatic News where the writer claimed the State Quarter guidelines said no actual person, living or dead, could be on any SQ, and therefore Alabama should not be permitted to have Helen Keller on theirs.

Anyone know if there is such a rule?

Loki

They should make a special case for Alabama. I mean, what else could be used to symbolize that state? (nyuk nyk nyk)

MadMarty

The dukes of hazzard

NoviceKris

If no person, living or dead, is always on coins, the Illinois coin is in violation then. Favorite son Abe Lincoln
is on it. One of the few circulation coins with two presidents, front and back (noted: the Lincoln image is of
Lincoln as a younger man)

As for the original post about two versions for alabama...I doubt it and hope not.

Kris

Dog97

In regular design & Braille means it will be a regular coin with Braille on it. 1 coin.
I don't care much for Helen Keller.
"what else could be used to symbolize that state"
Dear dorabs,
We could have a rocket since they make them at Huntsville or a battleship since we have the USS Alabama sitting out in the bay, 7th Navy ship to be named Alabama by the way.
We have a real Snake, used to play for the Bear, and me, Dog, of course, who would look great on a coin.

JLW

The theme of the coin "Spirit of Courage" will appear on the coin in braille as well as standard lettering, making it the first U.S. circulation coin containing braille. My wife lived in Huntsville for quite some time as her father worked for IBM in conjunction with the space program. As far as alternate themes, how about Lynyrd Skynyrd? They wrote a little ditty about Alabama that still gets plenty of airplay today!
Joe

Dog97

Lynyrd Skynyrd no way they were from FLA.
Country band Alabama is from Alabama but I don't think they would all fit on a quarter.

richbeat

Thanks for the clarification. Ganz didn't word his statement very well, IMO.

Conder101

The law that created the state quarter series syas that the design shall not be a BUST of an actual person either living or dead. Helen Keller is depictedwith a 1/2 to 3/4 body shot so it is not a bust and is therefore acceptable. If you actually couldn't depict real people at all it would have derailed the Delaware, New Jersey, and Missouri quarters as well.

The Mint also had other guidelines for subjects they did NOT want to see on state quarter designs, such as state flags, state flowers state trees etc. Mississippi never submitted designs for their quarter so the mint staff just created it for them. What was it? the state tree, the magnolia, and the state flower, also the magnolia.

kranky

Thanks for the clarification, Conder. I'm not real clear on why they would make such a distinction, but perhaps it was to encourage some variety in the designs.

Conder101

I doubt if they intended to make a distinction. They didn't want actual people so they said no bust of an actual person. They probably didn't think about it because almost without exception all of out coins have only shown busts. They just fell into a mindset trap. But the inclusion of the word "bust" gave the states a loophole.

Tootawl

<< <i>The dukes of hazzard >>



Didn't the Dukes of Hazzard come from Gerogia, not Alabama?