Coin Toss

By George, it's going to happen. Coin collectors everywhere are abuzz with the news that the flip side of the nation's quarter is about to undergo a redesign. "There's a great deal of excitement in the numismatic community," says Kenneth Bressett, immediate past president of the American Numismatic Association, "because coin collectors have felt that our nation's coinage was kind of stagnant--we haven't changed designs for many years."

Of course, coin collectors aren't the only ones expected to flip over the commemorative coins that will feature designs from each of the 50 states. Given the opportunity for states to highlight a point of civic pride--the Statue of Liberty, say, as a choice for New York--there's bound to be nationwide interest in the coins that are scheduled to be issued beginning in 1999. (The plan is to release five states' quarters every year until 2009.)

Spearheaded by Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE), the series of state commemorative coins was pending final congressional approval at press time--although all indications are the program will get the green light.

Even with guidelines in place, there's no reason why states cannot--or should not, for that matter--exercise creativity in their designs. Might this propel gift retailers to exercise a little creativity of their own in commemorating the facelift of the George Washington coin? Hey, we're just curious, George.

This article was originally published in the January 1998 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Coin Toss.