Numismatic

2004-D Iowa State Quarter BU

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In 2004, the United States Mint celebrated the state of Iowa with a special quarter design struck at the Denver facility. This brilliant uncirculated coin features a copper and nickel composition bonded to a core of pure copper. The obverse displays the classic portrait of George Washington, originally designed by John Flanagan, accompanied by the traditional inscriptions of liberty and national trust. The reverse of the coin, designed by John Mercanti, offers a poignant scene titled Foundation in Education. It portrays a teacher and student beside a traditional one-room schoolhouse, with a student sketching or reading while nestled in a nearby tree. This design draws inspiration from the style of legendary regionalist artist Grant Wood, whose name is inscribed on the reverse. The coin also bears the statehood year of 1846, the release year of 2004, and the national motto E Pluribus Unum.