Owner Comments:
21 Dec 09
Coin #008 in the set.
THE STORY:
The Hawaii State Quarter is on of my “Finds of 2009”. The book value for the coin makes the sixth or seventh most pricy coin of the silver proof set with a few of the clad proof 70’s are a bit more expensive as well. Obviously, it isn’t close to the price of the 1999 silver proof 70 coins in the set but still as teacher, some of the more expensive coins are a real stretch, financially, for me. This baby fell in my lap though and right before Christmas, too. I guess it is better to be lucky than good. I was giddy for days after I got my hands on this one. From what I can tell, it seems that there is a lower percentage of Silver Hawaii State Quarters that are popping PF70 when compared to other State Quarters from 2008. Who knows? I am just very happy I picked it up for a song maybe stole it might be a better term but not to worry, I have the receipt showing I paid for it.
THE COIN
Mintage Availability
Silver Proof Sets: 1,203,895
Silver Quarter Proof Sets: 774,874
Total Silver Proof Population: 1,978,769
43.9% of all NCG graded Hawaii Silver Quarters are PF70.
The obverse of the coin was designed by John Flanagan and subsequently modified by William Cousins. The reverse was designed and engraved by Don Everhart.
Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper
Diameter: 24.26 mm
Weight: 5.67 gms
Thickness: 1.75 mm
Edge: Reeded
Hawaii was the 50th and final State Quarter issued by the U.S. Government on November 03, 2008. The reverse side of the quarter has the image of the Thomas Gould statue of King Kamehameha on the left side of the coin with his arm outstretched over the island state symbolizing the unification of all of the islands. On the top of the reverse side of the quarter is Hawaii 1959, the year the state was admitted into the Union. To the right of the islands is the state motto "UA MAU KE EA O KA 'AINA I KA PONO", which translates to “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.”
There were four other versions of the reverse design that made it to the final stages of selection. One had a surfer with Diamondhead in the background with the motto “Aloha", the second had a hula dancer on the right side of the design with the outline of the state on the left and the motto “Aloha”, the third had the image of the statue of King Kamehameha in the foreground and Diamondhead in the back ground with the motto “Aloha” and the last finalist was a variant of the ultimate winner differing only in the placement of the state motto and the size of the likeness of King Kamehameha.