Commemorative State Quarter
for Illinois

Coin Issued: January 2, 2003 - the 1st coin released in 2003

Statehood: December 3, 1818 - the 21st State

Inscriptions: "Illinois 1818", "Land of Lincoln", "21st State/Century"

Description: A young Abraham Lincoln is carrying a book and surrounded by the state outline of Illinois. A farm scene is located on the left, with the Chicago skyline to the right.

Below the farm scene and to the left of Lincoln is inscribed "Land of Lincoln".

Below the Chicago skyline and to the right of Lincoln is inscribed "21st State/Century".

The coin contains 21 stars to indicate that Illinois is the 21st state: There are 11 stars on the left edge and 10 stars on the right.

At the bottom of the coin is the issue date (2003) 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 Donna Weaver (search the coin for the engraver's initials: 'dw').

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 Illinois Quarter:

Obverse Inscriptions:

Coin Specifications:

Number of Illinois Quarters Minted:

America-the-Beautiful Quarter Series:

The quarter for the Shawnee National Forest (located in southern Illinois) was issued in 2016, the first coin issued in 2016 and the 31st coin (of 56) in the America-the-Beautiful Quarter series.

The following quarters were issued in 2016: Shawnee National Forest (Illinois), Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (Kentucky), Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (West Virginia), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota) & Fort Moultrie/Fort Sumter National Monuments (South Carolina).