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Starting your coin collecting hobby with the State Quarters series is a great place to start if you are unsure where to begin collecting. What exactly is the State Quarters series? In the late 1990's the Fifty State Quarter Program was enacted; the program commenced in 1997 and has continued through the present time. It is a very popular program, and the State Quarters series is the most famous series in the history of the US Mint.

In 1998, five state quarters were released and this schedule continued for a period of ten years, so it would end this year. Every 10 weeks, a quarter is again released. The program also devised a new and unique method of issuing coins - the state quarters were issued based on the year they became part of the US. The state quarters are minted and you can see George Washington's image at the obverse or front side while on the reverse or back side, you will find a noteworthy design about the specific state.

The program will conclude at the end of calendar year 2008 and following that, the coins will once again be designed in the normal way, with the back side having an eagle design.

The last coins in the series will be minted this year so you can still collect them as they appear. But once the minting run is over they will be harder and harder to find, especially those that are considered in mint condition. Commemorative state quarters were minted in very high numbers so you can still easily find them in circulated condition making them an inexpensive way to start coin collecting, compared to old coins which are still legal tender but very hard to find in circulation.

So, what makes these minted coins unique? Each state gets a chance to choose a unique design which is of great importance to it and the current governor of the state will determine the process of selection. Some of the states designate a certain design committee while other states held contests among the residents who can come up with a significant and unique design. Some states post various designs of the coin in their official site and the residents simply place online votes and the coin that gets the highest votes win.

Collectors have taken many commemorative state quarters out of circulation, and they are nearly at the end of their run. Since they will never be minted again, they will naturally increase in value over the years. Already some of the older ones are fetching one dollar or more. Another lucrative field of coin collecting involves finding coins with minting errors. These can go for $500.

The program of State Quarters has definitely gained extreme popularity in the US. Special coin holders for the series are popular and coin collectors can purchase them so that they can keep their collections in an attractive holder.

Both youngsters and elderly can now begin collecting coins through the State Quarters. If you wish, you can ask at your local bank and find out if the coins are still available. But you should show some urgency as the plan concludes at the end of this calendar year.

Learn more about old coins at the net's premiere rare coin site, US-Rare-Coins.net. If you're interest is old US coins and CC coins, we have it all including a video section showcasing lots of old coins!