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The Virginia quarter, the tenth coin released under the 50 State Quarters® Program, honors Jamestown, Virginia, our nation's first permanent English settlement. Jamestown turns 400 years old in 2007. The selected design features the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. These ships brought the first English settlers to Jamestown.
On April 10, 1606, King James I of England chartered the Virginia Company to encourage colonization in the New World. The first expedition, consisting of the three ships depicted on the quarter, embarked from London on December 20, 1606. On May 12, 1607, they landed on a small island along the James River nearly 60 miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. It was here the original settlers (104 men and boys) established the first permanent English settlement called Jamestown, in honor of King James I.
The selection of the design for Virginia's new quarter began when Governor James Gilmore III selected State Treasurer Susan F. Dewey to serve as liaison to the United States Mint for the 50 State Quarters® Program. Ideas were solicited from colleges, universities, museums, and state agencies. Public comment was overwhelming, with thousands of responses received.