Commemorative State Quarter
for West Virginia

Coin Issued: October 14, 2005 - the 5th coin released in 2005

Statehood: June 20, 1863 - the 35th State

Inscriptions: "West Virginia 1863", "New River Gorge"

Description: The West Virginia coin features the New River Gorge Bridge. Below the Bridge is the inscription "New River Gorge".

The New River Gorge Bridge was completed on October 22, 1977 and is the longest steel arch bridge in the country with a length of 3,030 feet and an arch length of 1,700 feet. In addition, at 876 feet above the New River, the New River Gorge Bridge is the second highest bridge in the country.

At the bottom of the coin is the issue date (2005) 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 Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (located at Harpers Ferry, WV) will be issued in 2016. It will be the third coin issued in 2016 and the 33rd coin (of 56) in the America-the-Beautiful Quarter series.

The following quarters will be issued in 2016: Shawnee National Forest (Illinois), Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (Kentucky), Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (West Virginia), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota) & Fort Moultrie/Fort Sumter National Monuments (South Carolina).