I finally have an update to mention regarding the Minnesota state quarter. In late-April, I remember reading an article in the newspaper that discussed what was going to be the final design for the quarter. This article stated that the fourth quarter design – scroll down this page to take another look at it – would most likely be the one selected to be minted in Washington D.C. to represent the state of Minnesota. It did state, however, that this was not official, and based primarily on reports from the governor’s office regarding the date and time that Governor Pawlenty would make the official announcement and unveiling of the state quarter.

Well, it turns out that the final design is not what I thought it was. On May 14th, during the annual Governor’s Fishing Opener – which was in Baudette this year – the final design for the state quarter was unveiled. The design is based on the second preliminary design for the quarter, but has a few modifications. Look at the preliminary and final design below to see for yourself.

Overall, the modified design really seems to work much better than the preliminary. Although I still like the fourth preliminary design better, this one isn’t that bad. The loon in the picture has been made to look more like an actual loon, and the anglers, because of the change in their positioning, no longer look as if they are trying to reel the outline of Minnesota in. I still don’t really like the shaded outline of Minnesota on the design, but I guess it’s absolutely necessary if we want all American citizens to be able to easily recognize the difference in shapes between Minnesota and other states, such as Alaska. Hopefully Colorado and Wyoming will also include useful outlines of their states on their quarters so everybody will be able to easily recognize them.

Even though I don’t care for the outline of the state on the design, I do like that the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” adage is on the final design. How very clever it was to place it right over the shaded outline of Minnesota.

Quarter 2 Preliminary


Final Design


In case you didn't click on the link included with this entry, here is the press release issued by the governor's office regarding the unveiling of the design:

Baudette — Using the Governor's Fishing Opener as a backdrop, Governor Pawlenty today unveiled the design that will represent Minnesota in the 50 State Quarters Program of the US Mint. The announcement was made during the community picnic in Baudette, Minnesota on the eve of the 2004 fishing opener.

Governor Pawlenty endorsed the recommendation of the Minnesota Quarter Dollar Commission and chose the design featuring a lake scene with a motorboat and two people fishing with trees in the background and a loon in the foreground. The words "Land of 10,000 Lakes" are also included in an outline of the state.

"The fishing opener is the perfect opportunity to unveil Minnesota's quarter," said Pawlenty. "When people from around the world see our quarter, they will immediately associate Minnesota with the beautiful woods and waters of our natural resources."

Before revealing the winning design, Governor Pawlenty unveiled several humorous quarter design concepts that are sure to have a place in the hearts of true Minnesotans but were not selected: the mosquito, the walleye, Snoopy, a can of SPAM and good old fashion hotdish.

The US Mint will begin production of Minnesota's quarter dollar later this year and will be available in proof sets starting in January 2005. More events will be planned next year to celebrate the beginning of circulation in March 2005.