Timeless Rarities Fine Quality Coins by timelessrarities.com

The 50 State Quarters program () is the release of a series of commemorative coins by the United States Mint. Between 1999 and 2008, it featured each of the 50 individual U.S. states on unique designs for the reverse of the quarter.

In 2009, the U.S. Mint started issuing quarters under the 2009 District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Program, authorized by the passage of . This program features the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands.Noles, Jim. A Pocketful of History: Four Hundred Years of America -- One State Quarter at a Time (Boston: Da Capo Press, 2009). Although commonly mistaken as part of the 50 State Quarters Program, it is a separate program recognized by the U.S. Mint.

The program was conceived as a means of creating a new generation of coin collectors, and in that it succeeded.David L. Ganz, "The Official Guidebook to America's State Quarters", Random House, 2000. The 50 State Quarters program became the most successful numismatic program in history, with roughly half of the U.S. population collecting the coins, either in casual manner or as a serious pursuit. The U.S. federal government so far has made a profit of $4.6 billion from collectors taking the coins out of circulation.

The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. The main Mint facility is located in Washington, D.C., and branch facilities are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Denver, Colorado; San Francisco, California; and West Point, New York.

The Mint was created by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1792, and placed within the Department of State. Per the terms of the Coinage Act, the first Mint building was located in Philadelphia, then the U.S. capital. It was the first building of the Republic raised under the Constitution.

The Mint's first director was renowned scientist David Rittenhouse. The position is currently held by Edmund C. Moy. Henry Voigt was the first Superintendent and Chief Coiner, and is credited with some of the first U.S. coin designs. Another important position at the Mint is that of Chief Engraver, which has been held by such men as Frank Gasparro, William Barber, Charles E. Barber, James B. Longacre, Christian Gobrecht and Anthony C. Paquet, among others.

The Mint was made an independent agency in 1799, and under the Coinage Act of 1873, became part of the Department of the Treasury. It was placed under the auspices of the Treasurer of the United States in 1981.