Santa Fe, NM - New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment," marked the release of its commemorative quarter-dollar into circulation at a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda in Santa Fe today.  United States Mint Director Ed Moy joined Governor Bill Richardson in handing out shiny New Mexico quarter-dollars to children under 18 who attended the launch.  The Santa Fe All-Stars entertained the crowd.

"The New Mexico quarter's Zia sun symbol design speaks to your State's history and diversity," Director Moy told the crowd.  "Your quarter will be immediately recognizable and serve New Mexico as an ambassador to the Nation."

The New Mexico quarter-dollar goes into circulation across the country today.  The United States Mint estimates it will produce about 500 million New Mexico quarters.  After the ceremony, the public lined up to be among the first to exchange their bills for $10 rolls of New Mexico quarters. 

On the eve of the launch, the public attended a free Coin Collectors Forum at the National Hispanic Cultural Center of New Mexico in Albuquerque, hosted by Director Moy.  The forum provided an opportunity for the public to let United States Mint officials know what they would like to see on U.S. coinage in the future.

The New Mexico quarter is the 47th coin of the United States Mint's popular 50 State Quarters® Program, because New Mexico was the 47th state to be admitted into the Union, in 1912.  The coin's reverse bears the image of a Zia sun symbol over a topographical outline of the State with the inscription "Land of Enchantment."  The coin also bears the inscriptions "New Mexico" and "1912."

Free United States Mint lesson plans about the New Mexico quarter may be downloaded at http://www.usmint.gov/kids/.

To download an image of the New Mexico quarter, go to:
http://usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=Photo#50state.
  
A satellite feed that includes the New Mexico Quarter Launch, sound bites of participants and production B-Roll will be available on Monday, April 7 at 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET, C Band, GA 26C, Tr. 9, DL 3880V; and Tuesday, April 8 at 2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. ET, C Band, GA 26C, Tr. 9, DL 3880V.