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Sometimes it's the little things in life that throw you the biggest curve.
Most everyone has been admonished at one time in their life to be aware of the "fine print" on documents. But what do you know about the fine print on coins?
A reader e-mailed recently to ask: "Why does the design on the Wyoming quarter appear to have a tiny three-letter mark just above the ‘m' of unum?"
That "fine print" or three-letter mark on the Wyoming quarter represents the initials of the U.S. Mint Sculptor-Engraver, who executed the design. In the case of the Wyoming coin, that would be Norman E. Nemeth, who "signs" his State quarter designs nen.
Often collectors are confused by the designer's initials on a U.S. coin; some mistake it for a Mint mark.
Two- or three-letter initials appear somewhere in the design of each of the 45 State quarter designs now in circulation. Those initials identify the Mint sculptor-engraver who worked on the coin.
So now that you have those clues, here are some questions (and their answers) to test your knowledge.
1. How many U.S. Mint sculptor-engravers have been involved in the State quarter design process so far?
As of the 2007 coins, 11 Mint sculptor-engravers have been involved with the coin program.
Six have retired since the start of the program: Edgar Z. Steever IV, William C. Cousins, Thomas D. Rogers Sr., T. James Ferrell, Al Maletsky and Donna Weaver.
The five remaining Mint engravers are John Mercanti, Norman E. Nemeth, Don Everhart II, Charles Vickers and Joseph F. Menna.
2. Which sculptor-engraver has executed the most designs so far?
Donna Weaver has executed nine, the most designs by one engraver.
Weaver worked on the 2002 Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and Mississippi designs; the 2003 Illinois and Maine designs; the 2004 Michigan coin; the 2005 Oregon coin; and the 2006 North Dakota design.
3. Which of the designers has created the fewest designs for the State quarter dollars?
It's a tie. Edgar Z. Steever IV only engraved the 2000 Virginia quarter dollar and Joseph F. Menna has only engraved the 2007 Utah coin. Menna has five more opportunities for his initials to appear on the 2008 State quarter dollars. But until those designs are released we won't know if Menna executed any of the 2008 designs. (Steever is deceased.)
4. Can you identify each engraver's initials and where they appear on each of the 45 State quarter dollar designs currently in circulation?
We'll give you the engraver's full name and initials and let you search for their placement on each design.
John Mercanti – jm; T. James Ferrell – tjf; Al Maletsky – am; Donna Weaver – dw; Norman E. Nemeth – nen; William C. Cousins – wc; Edgar Z. Steever IV – ezs; Thomas D. Rogers Sr. – tdr; Don Everhart II – de; Charles L. Vickers – clv; and Joseph F. Menna – jfm.
First Reports
Natalie Hodapp of Minnesota reported Nov. 13 that she found a 2007-D Utah quarter in change.
Circulation Reports
Joel Wilhelm of Wisconsin reported Oct. 29 that change from a vending machine provided him with a 2007-D Wyoming quarter.
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