The Texas quarter is the third quarter of 2004, and the 28th in
the 50 State Quarters® Program. On December 29, 1845, Texas became
the 28th state to be admitted into the Union. The quarter's reverse
design incorporates an outline of the State with a star superimposed
on the outline and the inscription, "The Lone Star State." The
lariat encircling the design is symbolic of the cattle and cowboy
history of Texas, as well as the frontier spirit that tamed the land.
Texas comes from the Indian word "tejas," meaning friends or allies,
and appropriately Texas's motto is "Friendship." Probably the two
most recognized symbols of Texas are its unique shape and the lone
star that is represented on the State flag. The Texas flag design
was approved in 1839 to symbolize the Republic of Texas and was
adopted as the State flag in 1845. The simple design of a lone star
and three bold stripes of red, white and blue represent bravery,
purity and loyalty, respectively. Texas is the only state to have
had six different flags fly over its land -- Spain, France, Mexico,
Republic of Texas, Confederate States of America and the United
States of America.
On August 14, 2000, Governor George W. Bush appointed the 15-member
Texas Quarter Dollar Coin Design Advisory Committee. The Committee
authorized the Texas Numismatic Association to conduct a statewide
design contest on its behalf. Nearly 2,600 candidate design concepts
were submitted in response to a statewide contest. From those
design concepts, 17 finalists were selected by the Texas Numismatic
Association and presented to the Texas Quarter Dollar Coin Design Advisory
Committee for review. The Committee further narrowed the submissions
to the five designs that were most representative and emblematic of
the State. Governor Rick Perry submitted the preferred design of the
outline of Texas beneath the Lone Star and encircled by a lariat,
which was approved by the Secretary of the Treasury on August 26, 2003.
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