Coin Issued: January 4, 1999 - the 1st coin released in 1999
Inscriptions: "Delaware 1787", "The First State", "Ceasar Rodney"
Statehood: December 7, 1787 - the 1st State
Description: Depicts Ceasar Rodney's historic ride in 1776.
On July 1, 1776, as Delaware's representative to the Continental Congress, Caesar Rodney rode all night through a thunderstorm to Philadelphia (a distance of 80 miles) to cast the deciding vote in favor of Independence.
Caesar Rodney was born on his father's farm (near Dover) on October 7, 1728. During his life, he held the following government offices:
- Commissioned High Sheriff of Kent County (1755)
- Elected to the Colonial Assembly (1758 - 1770 and 1771 - 17776)
- Delegate to the Stamp Act Congress (1765)
- Member of the Delaware Committee of Correspondence (1765)
- Elected to the Continental Congress (1774 - 1777)
- A military leader in the Colonial Militia (1774 - 1777)
- President of the State of Delaware (1778 - 1780)
- A member of the Upper House of the State Assembly (1776 - 1784)
- In 1782 he was elected to the National Congress, but declined the office due to failing health.
- He continued to serve as the Speaker of the Upper House of the Delaware Assembly until his death (on June 29, 1784).
At the bottom of the coin is the issue date (1999) and the motto "E Pluribus Unum". The motto is Latin for "Out of Many, One", recognizing that out of the many colonies (or states) emerged a single nation.
Engravers: The Reverse design (the tail or State-side of the Quarter) was created by William Cousins (search the coin for the engraver's initials: 'wc').
The original Observe design (the front or Washington-side of the Quarter) was created by John Flanagan and first appeared in 1932. For the 50 State Quarters series, Flanagan's design was modified by William Cousins: the portrait of Washington was slightly reduced to accomodate the moving of the legends from the Reverse to the Obverse.
Reverse Inscriptions for the Delaware Quarter:
| Delaware |
| The First State |
| 1787 |
| 1999 |
| E. Pluribus Unum |
Obverse Inscriptions:
| United States of America |
| Liberty |
| In God We Trust |
| Quarter Dollar |
Coin Specifications:
| Weight: | 0.182 troy ounce [5.670 g] |
| Diameter: | 0.955 in [24.26 mm] |
| Thickness: | 0.069 in [1.75 mm] |
| Edge: | Reeded with 119 reeds. |
| Composition: | Cupro-Nickel Clad (91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel) |
Number of Delaware Quarters Minted:
| Denver (D): | 401,424,000 |
| Philadelphia (P): | 373,400,000 |
| Total: | 774,824,000 |
America-the-Beautiful Quarter Series
The quarter for the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge (located northeast of Dover, DE) was issued in 2015, the fourth coin issued in 2015 and the 29th coin (of 56) in the America-the-Beautiful Quarter series.
The following quarters were issued in 2015: Homestead National Monument of America (Nebraska), Kisatchie National Forest (Louisiana), Blue Ridge Parkway (Virginia, North Carolina & Tennessee), Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge (Delaware) & Saratoga National Historical Park (New York).
Quarters Issued in 1999 | ||||
Delaware (DE) |
Pennsylvania (PA) |
New Jersey (NJ) |
Georgia (GA) |
Connecticut (CT) |
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