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It could be the launch ceremony that will be least remembered in the history of the State quarter dollar program.
Or it might be the best remembered one.
To be sure the launch ceremony for the Alaska State quarter dollar had a national flavor that none of the other states can ever claim.
Collectors were looking forward to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin introducing the state's coin Aug. 29 at the Alaska State Fair, but national politics intervened.
Unless you've been sequestered in a jury room somewhere for the past month, you know by now that Palin was unable to attend the ceremony because she was introduced earlier in the day as the vice presidential running mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
Palin joined McCain at a noon press conference in Dayton, Ohio, where McCain introduced his running mate.
But, though Palin was not in Alaska, a State quarter dollar launch ceremony still was conducted at the state fair. Standing in for Palin was Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who was joined by United States Mint Deputy Director Andrew Brunhart.
Visitors were able to purchase four new Alaska quarter dollars for face value thanks to a State quarter exchange sponsored by Wells Fargo.
The Alaska coin design features a grizzly bear emerging from the waters clutching a salmon in its jaws. The North Star is depicted above the inscription the great land.
A launch ceremony for Hawaii's 2008 State quarter dollar, the last in the 10-year program, will be in November.
Hawaii's coin design shows a full-body depiction of King Kamehameha stretching his hand toward the eight major islands of Hawaii. The coin also bears Hawaii's state motto ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono ("The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness").
If you were wondering about the results of the Alaska State Fair's 13th annual Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off ...
Wait! What does this have to do with the Alaska quarter dollar, you ask?
In the "The State Quarters" column published in the Aug. 11 issue of Coin World, we observed that the release ceremony coincided with that significant event at the state fair.
And the reason it was significant?
Cabbage is a slang term for money – one of many slang terms for money. The term first started showing up in hard-boiled detective novels of the 1920s.
So just in case you were wondering, the first-place winner of the 2008 Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off was Scott Robb of Palmer who won $2,000 for his 79.1-pound cabbage.
The first-place winner in the junior category was Elysha Menefee. Her 32.2-pound cabbage earned her $250.
Did you attend the Alaska quarter dollar launch ceremony (or the Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off)? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
First Reports
Mark Woods of Massachusetts reported Sept. 8 that a bank was his source for a roll of 2008-P Alaska quarter dollars.
Circulation Reports
We did not receive any reports this week.
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