by Darryl Wilkinson
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Find out how to advertise here - Email us! [email protected]
by Darryl Wilkinson
Several family members and friends made the trek to Sedalia to the state fair. I’m holding Junior Evans personally responsible for the piddly amount of rain we got on Monday. When he took the day off from work, he explained it always rained whenever he attend the tractor pull at the state fair. If his day off only got us a drizzle, I guess we ought to force him to take off a full week!
Now it’s up to the Jameson Picnic to break the drought.
Sunday marked the unveiling of the U.S. Mint’s new quarter commemorating Missouri at the state fair. Federal reserve banks in St. Louis and Kansas City were not allowed to ship the new quarters out to other banks until Monday — which means they will not be in circulation until later this week. The U.S. Mint anticipates releasing 450 million Missouri quarters this year.
Missouri’s is the fourth state quarter issued in 2003. You may recall that the program began in 1999 and will conclude in 2008 when the 50th quarter, for Hawaii, is released.
Thus far, 24 state quarters have been issued. The new quarters are being released in the same sequence as they joined the Union. Thus, the Missouri quarter is the 24th issued. Sunday, Aug. 10, was the very date that Missouri became a state 182 years ago!
The Missouri quarter is intended to celebrate the anniversary of our statehood, as well as recognize Lewis and Clark’s history journey down the Missouri River. Our quarter depicts the two explorers rowing down the river, with the famous Gateway Arch in the background. The quarter is inscribed “Corps of Discovery 1804-2004.”
The Missouri Commemorative Design Committee selected 12 finalists, which were then presented to the public, who chose five concepts to forward to the U.S. Mint. The concepts included the Pony Express, the nation’s westward expansion, Lewis and Clark, and a riverboat. From the designs that were returned to Gov. Holden, voters chose “Corps of Discovery 1804-2004″ during an online poll.
But the coin’s issue wasn’t without controversy. Columbia artist Paul Jackson, who offered the design, protested the U.S. Mint’s modifications to his work — going so far as to distribute thousands of stickers with his original design and encouraging people to place them on the “tails” side of the quarters.
That controversy is just about Jackson’s parochial interest, quickly to subside and be forgotten. Jackson should take heart and remember that most people only look at money to spend it.
Lots of people can make (or even design) money, but it takes a wise man to keep it.