Texas 50 State Quarter

50 State Quarter of Texas

Designed by Norman E. Nemeth

Released June 1, 2004

Texas is a large state in the southern US with deserts, pine forests and the Rio Grande, a river that forms its border with Mexico. Texas is geographically located in the south central part of the country and due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas contains diverse landscapes that resemble both the US southern and southwestern regions. After ten years of independence, Texas became a state on December 29, 1845. Was an independent republic before statehood.

Mintage: 541,800,000

The Texas quarter is the third quarter of 2004, and the 28th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. The 50 State Quarter of Texas was released on June 1, 2004, featuring a star superimposed on an outline of the state encircled by a lariat. The lariat is symbolic of the cattle and cowboy history and frontier spirit of Texas. Icons of westward expansion, the Texas cowboy played an important cultural and economic role driving cattle from the ranches where they were raised hundreds of miles to the nearest railroads. Inscription: The Lone Star State.

Texas 50 State Quarter

The Texas quarter is the third quarter of 2004, and the 28th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. On December 29, 1845, Texas became the 28th state to be admitted into the Union. The quarter's reverse design incorporates an outline of the State with a star superimposed on the outline and the inscription, "The Lone Star State." The lariat encircling the design is symbolic of the cattle and cowboy history of Texas, as well as the frontier spirit that tamed the land.

Texas comes from the Indian word "tejas," meaning friends or allies, and appropriately Texas' motto is "Friendship." Probably the two most recognized symbols of Texas are its unique shape and the lone star that is represented on the State flag. The Texas flag design was approved in 1839 to symbolize the Republic of Texas and was adopted as the State flag in 1845. The simple design of a lone star and three bold stripes of red, white and blue represent bravery, purity and loyalty, respectively. Texas is the only state to have had six different flags fly over its land - Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States of America and the United States of America.

  On August 14, 2000, Governor George W. Bush appointed the 15-member Texas Quarter Dollar Coin Design Advisory Committee. The Committee authorized the Texas Numismatic Association to conduct a statewide design contest on its behalf. Nearly 2,600 candidate design concepts were submitted in response to a statewide contest. From those design concepts, 17 finalists were selected by the Texas Numismatic Association and presented to the Texas Quarter Dollar Coin Design Advisory Committee for review. The Committee further narrowed the submissions to the five designs that were most representative and emblematic of the State. Governor Rick Perry submitted the preferred design of the outline of Texas beneath the Lone Star and encircled by a lariat, which was approved by the Secretary of the Treasury on August 26, 2003.

Source: United States Mint's 50 State Quarters Program