Due to the enormous success of the "State" Quarters, the U.S. Mint is going to do another coin


WASHINGTON, DC—Following the success of its 50 State Quarters program—deemed one of the most popular commemorative-coin programs in American history—the U.S. Mint announced its next ambitious project: releasing a unique penny for every county in the nation.

"Located in the first state in the union, Delaware's Kent County will be the first county honored in this grand celebration of America," U.S. Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore said Monday. "But over the coming years, citizens all across the nation will see the best aspects of their own counties celebrated on the obverse side of a penny. Collecting all 3,143 county pennies will be a fun activity your family will enjoy for generations."

Starting in 2006, the U.S. Mint will release five new pennies per year for the next 629 years. While the process will be a long one, residents of the nation's 3,143 counties and county equivalents have already begun debating how their regions should be depicted.

"I hope they get the old stone water tower just right," Ypsilanti, MI resident Gina Dalton said. "It's the most well-known landmark in Washtenaw County, so it's definitely what they should use."

While Fore agreed that Ypsilanti's historic water tower—completed in 1890, boasting an 85-foot-tall base made of Joliet limestone, and standing at the important intersection of Route 17 and West Cross Street—is a good suggestion, she cautioned Washtenaw County residents that their penny is scheduled for release in 2315.

"We're encouraging counties, especially those beyond the first 50 or so, to think creatively to find a truly unique representative icon for their penny," Fore said. "Water towers—along with mountains, covered bridges, and lighthouses—will be among the first images to get snapped up. We'll need to see some shoe factories and cell-phone towers, too.

But, as usual, there is controversy too:

Citizens of Alaska and Louisiana have expressed worries that they may not be represented at all.

"I have spoken to numerous concerned Alaska and Louisiana citizens, and I tell them all the same thing: Settle down," Fore said. "Although they are technically called the county pennies, the coins will certainly include Alaska's census areas, Louisiana's parishes, and independent cities like St. Louis and the District of Columbia."

Here's the rest of this exiting numismatic article.