Hobbies And Interests
Time Frame
The program began in 1999 and ended in 2008. The United States Mint website says that the U.S. Mint produced each quarter for about 10 weeks as part of the program and the mint will never create these quarters again.
Order of Release
The United States Mint released the commemorative quarters in the order in which the various states ratified the U.S. Constitution or in the order in which they became states. This meant that the Delaware quarter was the first in the series and the Hawaii quarter the last of the series.
Special Legislation
Special legislation was necessary to allow these quarters to have the inscriptions "quarter dollar" and "United States of America" moved from the reverse side to the front of the coin. President Clinton signed this into law in 1998.
Other Moves
The year of the quarter's issuance also moved---from the front where it typically is to the backside of the quarter. The image of George Washington still graces the front of each quarter.
Significance
The designs that honor each state differ. Seventeen of the quarters have animals on them, such as the grizzly bear on the Alaskan quarter, while others depict historical events within the state, such as the Wright Brothers' flight on the North Carolina quarter.