Connecticut State Quarter Features the Charter Oak
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Mint announced today the launch of the Connecticut state quarter, the fifth quarter in the Mint's 50 State Quarters series. Connecticut was the fifth state to ratify the Constitution and join the Union, and will now be honored as the last state quarter of the 20th Century.
Kermit the Frog, the official "spokesfrog" for the 50 State Quarters Program, joined the director of the Mint, Philip N. Diehl at the Philadelphia Mint for the official ceremonial striking of Connecticut quarter, which will be shipped to the Federal Reserve Banks on October 12th.
"Issuing the first five quarters of The 50 State Quarters Program gives us a great opportunity to look back on the success of the program over the past year," said Philip N. Diehl, director of the U.S. Mint. "The Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Georgia quarters have each been greeted with tremendous excitement from the public, and we have no doubt the Connecticut quarter will get a similar reception."
"Connecticut's roots are deeply steeped in American history, so we are especially proud to feature the Charter Oak on the Connecticut quarter," said John Rowland, governor of Connecticut. "Being the last State Quarter issued in this century is a great honor for the citizens of Connecticut."
The Connecticut quarter reverse (tails) features the Charter Oak, a white oak tree that until 1856 stood in Hartford, Connecticut. The history of the Charter Oak began on October 31, 1687, when Sir Edmund Andros, a British representative for King James II, demanded the surrender of Connecticut's Charter, a document that allowed Connecticut to maintain an independent, self-reliant colonial government. During the heated discussion, with the Charter on the table between the opposing parties, the candles were mysteriously snuffed out. When they were re-lighted, the Connecticut Charter was gone, saved by Captain Joseph Wadsworth from the hands of the British and hidden in a hollow of the majestic 1,000-year-old white oak, henceforth known as the Charter Oak.