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The Connecticut quarter's reverse celebrates "The Charter Oak" tree, which proved to be a good hiding place.
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The Connecticut quarter, the last 50 State Quarters® Program coin issued in 1999, features
"The Charter Oak": an integral part of Connecticut's heritage and existence.
If not for the famed "Charter Oak", Connecticut - and this country in general - might be a
very different place than it is today!
On the night of October 31, 1687, Connecticut's Charter was put to a test. A British
representative for King James II, challenged Connecticut's government structure and demanded its
surrender. In the middle of the heated discussion, with the Charter on the table between the
opposing parties, the candles were mysteriously snuffed out, darkening the room.
When visibility was reestablished, the Connecticut Charter had vanished.
Heroic Captain Joseph Wadsworth saved the Charter from the hands of the British and concealed it in
the safest place he could find - in a majestic white oak. This famous tree, "The Charter
Oak," finally fell during a great storm on August 21, 1856.
In a press release issued February 3, 1998, Governor John G. Rowland announced the Connecticut Coin
Design Competition. More than 112 citizens ranging from ages six to 87 from 46 cities and towns
submitted design concept entries to the Connecticut Commission on the Arts.
Nineteen entrants submitted renditions of the Charter Oak and five of those were selected and forwarded
to the United States Mint. Following the required review and approval process, three designs
were returned to Governor Rowland for consideration. The Connecticut Commemorative Coin Design
Competition Review Committee, with the governor's approval, unanimously selected the Connecticut
circulating quarter design. Twenty-three people from 18 towns received honorable mentions for
their design concepts.
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