Commemorative State Quarter
for Iowa

Coin Issued: August 30, 2004 - the 4th coin released in 2004

Statehood: December 28, 1846 - the 29th State

Inscriptions: "Iowa 1846", "Foundation in Education", "Grant Wood"

Description: Features a school house and to the right of it, a teacher and students planting a tree. Below the tree is the inscription "Grant Wood". Above the school house is the inscription "Foundation in Education".

The design of Iowa's Quarter is based on "Arbor Day", a painting by Grant Wood.

At the bottom of the coin is the issue date (2004) and the motto "E Pluribus Unum". The motto is Latin for "Out of Many, One", recognizing that out of the many colonies (or states) emerged a single nation.

Engravers: The Reverse design (the State-side of the Quarter) was created by John Mercanti (search an actual coin for the engraver's initials: 'jm').

The original Observe design (the front or Washington-side of the Quarter) was created by John Flanagan and first appeared in 1932. For the 50 State Quarters series, Flanagan's design was modified by William Cousins: the portrait of Washington was slightly reduced to accomodate the moving of the legends from the Reverse to the Obverse.

Coin Specifications:

Number of Coins Minted:

America-the-Beautiful Quarter Series:

The quarter for the Effigy Mounds National Monument (located north of Marquette, IA) will be issued in 2017. It will be the first coin issued in 2017 and the 36th coin (of 56) in the America-the-Beautiful Quarter series.

The following quarters will be issued in 2017: Effigy Mounds National Monument (Iowa), Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (District of Columbia), Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Missouri), Ellis Island National Monument and the Statue of Liberty (New Jersey & New York) & George Rogers Clark National Historical Park (Indiana).