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Connecticut State Quarter

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**Connecticut State Quarter**
The Constitution State
Capital: Hartford
Statehood: Jan. 9, 1788
**____________________**

The Connecticut State Quarter was the fifth and final state quarter issued in 1999 and the fifth in the statehood quarter series as authorized by the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act.

The CT State Quarter depicts the famous "Charter Oak Tree" where Captain Joseph Wadsworth had hidden the Connecticut Charter from the British who were demanding Connecticut's surrender.

During a heated argument about the surrender, the candles were suddenly and mysteriously extinguished leaving the room totally dark. By the time the candles were re-lit, the charter was missing from the table.

It seems that Captain Wadsworth had taken the charter in the darkness and the only safe place he could find to hide it was in a majestic white oak tree.

The famous tree became known as "The Charter Oak" and was destroyed in a storm in August of 1856.

The CT State Quarter was released on October 12, 1999. The design was chosen from over 112 entries submitted by citizens of Connecticut to the Connecticut Commission on the Arts.

The entrants ranged in age from six to 87 and were from 46 of Connecticut's cities and towns.

Nineteen of the designs submitted included the Charter Oak, five of which were forwarded to the United States Mint for approval. Three of these were approved by the Secretary of Treasury.

The Connecticut Commemorative Coin Design Competition Review Committee voted unanimously on the final selection for the Connecticut state quarter design and the governor approved the selection.

Below is a table showing the design specifications and mintages of the Connecticut State Quarter.

Type	Connecticut State Quarter
Designer
Obverse - Original design by John Flanagan Modification for state quarter program by William Cousins Note: The modification moved some of the wording from the reverse to the obverse to leave the reverse available for the state's design.	Reverse - Each state theme was proposed, and approved, by the governor of the state. Final design was created by T. James Ferrell. His initials appear near the bottom just to the right of E Pluribus Unum. (Both obverse designer's initials - John Flanagan and William Cousins - are on the obverse of the coin at the truncation of Washington's neck.)
Years Minted	1999
Weight	5.67 grams
Composition	outer layers of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to an inner core of pure copper
Diameter	24.3 mm
Edge	reeded
Mints and Mintages
Philadelphia Denver San Francisco	P - 688,744,000 D - 657,880,000 S - 3,713,359 Proofs only S - 804,565 Silver Proofs