**WESTWARD JOURNEY**

**NICKEL SERIES™**

**LAUNCHED IN ST. LOUIS**

On March 14, 2004, ambassadors and American Indian Chiefs joined United
States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore under the Jefferson National
Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) to publicly launch the first nickel of
the Westward Journey Nickel Series. The new nickel commemorates the
bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase.

Over 1,000 children received a free nickel from the United States Mint,
and adults exchanged over \$50,000, or one million nickels, in less than
three hours. The Three Flags Ceremony reenacted the transfer of the
Upper Louisiana Territory from Spain to France to the United States.
![](media/image1.jpeg){width="1.2645833333333334in"
height="1.2645833333333334in"}

To honor the 200^th^ anniversaries of the Louisiana Purchase and the
Lewis and Clark Expedition, the reverse of the Jefferson nickel will
bear two new designs in 2004. The first new nickel, a rendition of the
original Jefferson Peace Medal, was released to the Federal Reserve on
March 1. This is the first new design for the Jefferson nickel since it
was introduced in 1938.

The second nickel is scheduled for release in August 2004, and the
reverse will depict the two explorers in a keelboat in full sail en
route to the West Coast and will bear the inscription "Lewis & Clark."

**FLORIDA QUARTERS**

**IN CIRCULATION**

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="1.3in" height="1.3305555555555555in"}

On April 7, 2004, Florida Governor Jeb Bush joined Director Fore at the
John F. Kennedy Space Center to launch the Florida commemorative
quarter-dollar coin. Florida is the 27^th^ state to be honored in the 50
State Quarters^®^ Program.

The design incorporates a 16^th^ century Spanish galleon, a space
shuttle and the inscription \"Gateway to Discovery.\" A strip of land
with sabal palm trees is also depicted. Florida, home to the Kennedy
Space Center, has been the starting point for the modern era's most
significant scientific space expeditions -- from Man's first moon
landing to the Voyager probe currently exploring deep space outside our
solar system. From 16^th^ century Spanish galleons to 21^st^ century
space exploration, Florida has been the stage for humanity's quest for
knowledge and discovery.

**LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION BICENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE COIN AVAILABLE
MAY 12!**

To commemorate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the
United States Mint will release a commemorative silver dollar in May.
Proceeds from the sale of the coins are authorized to go to the National
Park Service and the National Council of the Lewis and Clark
Bicentennial.

**FLORIDA QUARTERS IN\
TWO-ROLL SETS AND BAGS**

![](media/image3.png){width="1.2in" height="1.00625in"}Two-roll sets of
Florida quarters --- featuring one roll of coins each from the United
States Mint facilities at Philadelphia and Denver --- became available
on March 29, 2004. The two-roll set sells for \$32.00.

Bags of 100 and 1,000 Florida quarters are also on sale, each marked
with the mint of origin. Bags of 100 coins sell for \$35.50, and bags of
1,000 coins sell for \$300.

**THOMAS ALVA EDISON COMMEMORATIVE COIN EVENT**

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="1.0375in" height="1.0868055555555556in"}

In honor of the 125^th^ anniversary of Edison's invention of the
incandescent light bulb, the United States Mint offers the Thomas Alva
Edison Commemorative Coin. This silver dollar features one of America's
greatest inventors and most significant scientific achievements.

Each coin contains 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper and is
accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity signed by the Director of
the United States Mint. Portions of the proceeds are authorized to go to
eight different organizations that promote Edison's life and works.

The coins went on sale February 11, 2004, and can be purchased online at
[www.usmint.gov](http://www.usmint.gov/), or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT.

**ARTISTIC INFUSION PROGRAM SELECTIONS MADE**

The United States Mint has chosen a pool of 24 American artists, ranging
from a wildlife painter to a commercial graphic designer, to participate
in the United States Mint\'s new Artistic Infusion Program. The artists
will prepare original designs for the Nation\'s coins and medals.

The United States Mint issued a nationwide \"Call for Artists\" on
November 20, 2003, with a deadline of January 9, 2004, for receiving
applications from artists, both professional and student, interested in
forming a pool of designers to submit original images for various coins
and medals.

Thousands of applications were downloaded from the United States Mint\'s
Web site. A panel composed of officials from the National Endowment for
the Arts and the United States Mint evaluated the artists\' applications
and selected 24 program participants. The selected artists attended an
orientation program at the United States Mint at Philadelphia on
February 19 --20, 2004, to learn about the history of coin and medal
design, the coin-making process and upcoming design opportunities.

**florida First Day Coin Covers Available**

**April 26, 2004**

The Florida First Day Coin Cover combines 50 State Quarters coins
produced on the first day of mintage from the United States Mint
facilities at Philadelphia and Denver in a handsome envelope bearing a
cancellation mark on the day the coins are released to the Federal
Reserve.