Why so many quarter programs lately?
acelm
Posts: 19 ✭
We went from no change in the Washington quarter from 1932 to 1998 (except the bicentennial) to 5 reverse designs nearly every year since then. The state quarter program was intended to be just the 50 states. Then we added the territories, then BOOM another 56 designs for national parks, then finally a break in 2021, only to be followed by the women quarters, 5 (ugly) obverses for the semiquincentennial, and now youth sports of all things.
Who is getting the ideas for all these programs and passing them through Congress? IMO they exhausted their welcome long ago. And are we sure they'll end in the 2030s, or ever? I assume something will be done in 2032 for Washington's 300th birthday, but after that I want some stability for once.
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Comments
The mint likes selling coins. Collectors like completing sets. More designs = more sales.
edited to add... And when I say "The mint", I really mean "Congress", since the mint doesn't make those decisions.
I think it’s for a plethora of reasons:
First, the mint wants to grow collecting so they put “circulating commemoratives” in change for people to find to try to spark people to become numismatists.
Second, they likely do it on quarters since while halves are (currently) being struck for circulation, quarters are the biggest denomination actively seen in circulation and so they’re the most prevalent. Quarters would certainly make more sense than, for example, the dime!
Finally, I think it depends on how the public reacts. People seemed to like state quarters, so they expanded the idea of quarter series. I think unless theres just like some active disliking for the series that the mint puts out, they’ll probably keep churning out things like these.
Just my thoughts though, I could be wrong! 😉
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True, and I actually enjoy some of the designs; that said I have way more state quarter sets than anything else. The early national parks have lower mintages, and of course there's the West Point issues, but not much else to look for. Tbh the 2019-W coins did way more for growing collector interest than the program itself.
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Quarters = positive seigniorage.
Don't forget about the 2020-W quarters!😎
It truly is overkill. I'm drawing the line at Sports...refuse to collect them-that's enough. State quarters were a great idea, parks were too. Both full map sets of the US. Now we're just seeing "anything goes", the quarter as a blank canvas for rotating designs, willy nilly. I wouldn't be surprised to see a Dog Series quarter, or Flower Series. How about something fun like Movie Posters or Beaches of the US ?
I started losing interest when the State Quarter program ended. I am beyond bored with the women. The only reason that I have them is because they are included in the Proof sets.
Of course another reason why there are so many quarters is that modern technology makes it easy to introduce new designs with computers and lasers. In the old days introducing a new design could take months. The mint did it in record time with the Kennedy Half Dollar in 1963. It took about five weeks
I'm waiting for presidential pets and marble champs.
I also have lost interest. I'll get a proof set but this will probable be the end .
I was thinking of looking at/for some varities that id like to have and that's about with the quarters as well