The man who guided the United States through the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, is the focus of the design for the Illinois State quarter. The design features an image of a young Lincoln based on a sculpture by Avard Fairbanks titled "The Resolute Lincoln." The image of Lincoln is superimposed over an outline of the state. In the background to the left of the Lincoln image is a stylized view of a farm setting and to the right of Lincoln is the Chicago skyline. Two inscriptions flank the main Lincoln design. One is the state slogan, "Land of Lincoln." The other inscription is "21st State/Century." To highlight the 21st theme, 21 stars frame the

A portrait of Helen Keller seated in a chair with an open book on her lap will grace Alabama's 2003 State quarter. Keller's name is inscribed in English and Braille to the right of the portrait with "Spirit of Courage" on a ribbon below the chair. The design is bordered on the right by a branch of camellias, Alabama's state flower, and on the left by a branch of needles and cones from the southern longleaf pine. Keller was born June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Ala. Keller will be the seventh actual woman depicted on a U.S. coin. The other six women are: Queen Isabella, Eleanor Dare (with infant daughter Virginia), Susan B. Anthony, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Dolley Madison and Sacagawea. The Alabama quarter dollar will be the first U.S. coin minted for circulation with a Braille inscription.

The design for Maine's coin will feature a rendition of the Pemiquid Point Light on the Maine coastline with a three-masted schooner off the coast with sea birds circling overhead. The design of the ship as submitted was originally based on the three-masted schooner Victory Chimes, which sails out of Rockland, Maine.

Missouri's State quarter recognizes Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The design shows three men paddling a solitary boat down a tree-lined river with the Arch of Discovery in the background, with the legend "Corps of Discovery 1804-2004."

The Arkansas design features a mallard duck in flight, several stalks of rice and a cut diamond. All three elements are superimposed over a tree-lined river scene. The mallard symbolizes the state's abundant natural resources. The rice pays homage to Arkansas' standing as the leading rice producer in the United States. The diamond is a significant element in the design in that the Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro is the eighth largest diamond deposit in the world. It's also the site where the largest diamond ever unearthed in the United States was found: a 40.23-carat diamond discovered in 1924. The park is the only site in the world where the public can search for diamonds.

2004

Michigan
Florida
Texas
Iowa
Wisconsin

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