The Ohio State Quarter was the 17th coin in the US Mint 50 States series, released in 2002 to honor Ohio’s history and attract coin collectors. The idea for the series dates back to 1993 and was officially launched in 1997. The Ohio design features an outline of the state, a Wright Brothers plane, and an astronaut, and was chosen through a voting process. The coin had to be approved by the Governor of Ohio and the US Department of the Treasury before being minted in Denver and Philadelphia.
The Ohio State Quarter was introduced to America on March 11, 2002. It was the 17th out of 50 coins in the US Mint 50 States series. The idea behind the series was to honor each of the US states with a special district and possibly attract new coin collectors. The history of the Ohio State Quarter dates back to the early 1990s and is firmly tied to the history of the state.
Why Ohio State Quarter is the 17th quarter of the series has nothing to do with the alphabet or randomness. It was chosen as the 17th because Ohio was the 17th state to join the Union. Ohio was historically important during America’s colonial and revolutionary eras and is seen as a lead state in American elections.
The 50 States series was officially launched by the United States Mint in 1997, but the idea dates back to the 1993 meeting of the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee. During the meeting, member David Ganz suggested that the committee release a series of commemorative coins. He failed to sway the committee until 1995, when committee chairman and mint director, Philip N. Diehl, began working to get Congress involved. Diehl only succeeded when he floated the idea of issuing the coins in the same order that states were accepted into the Union. The US Commemorative Coin Act of 1996 formalized the idea and the series was officially launched a year later.
The history of the Ohio coin dates back to 2000 and 2001. With the front being the standard coin for a US quarter, it was the back that people got to designing. The element subject to change was the central image, as the upper part of the coin would have named the state and the year of accession, while the lower part would have read a Latin phrase which means “Among many, one” in English.
Once the Ohio State Quarter project was opened to Ohio residents, 7,000 design concepts were submitted to the Mint. The mint then reduced that number by popular vote to just four designs. Nearly 40,000 Ohioans took part in the vote. These four favorite ideas were then turned into coin mockups and presented for a final decision.
Each of the first four projects had something in common – aviation. The winning design, crafted in coin form by United States Mint designer Donna Weaver, features the outline of the state in the background. On the left is the Wright Brothers plane above the words “Birthplace of Pioneers” and on the right is an astronaut. The astronaut could be Neil Armstrong or John Glenn, both born in the state.
To be accepted, the coin had to be approved by the Governor of the state, Bob Taft, and then approved by the United States Department of the Treasury. Once cleared, the Ohio State Quarter was etched by its designer, Donna Weaver. It was minted in both Denver and Philadelphia.
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