The Lousiana Quarter
The Louisiana quarter, the third quarter of 2002 and eighteenth in the series, displays the image of Louisiana's state bird, the pelican, a trumpet with musical notes, and the outline of the Louisiana Purchase territory, along with the inscription "Louisiana Purchase." The Louisiana Purchase Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803 for $15 million. Dubbed the "greatest real estate deal in history," the Louisiana Purchase added thirteen new states to the Union, nearly doubling its size and making it one of the largest countries in the world. The trumpet on the coin is a tribute to the state's heritage of jazz music, a genre heard and played by millions of enthusiasts around the globe. Jazz, a combination of elements from blues, ragtime, and marching band music, was born in New Orleans more than a hundred years ago. A multitude of musicians propelled jazz from New Orleans' French Quarter onto the world stage, making the style a dominant force in 20th-century music. Choosing the DesignGovernor Mike Foster, Jr., established the Louisiana Commemorative Coin Advisory Commission, which solicited design suggestions from all Louisiana residents. From the 1,193 submissions the commission received (80 percent of which came from schoolchildren), Governor Foster submitted five design concepts to the United States Mint. He selected the final design from the five candidate designs the Mint developed. The 50 State Quarter ProgramSigned into law in 1997, the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act has become the most successful numismatic program in American history, with roughly half of the U.S. population collecting the coins, either in a casual manner or as a serious pursuit. The program produces five different reverse designs each year for ten years—each representing a different state—the order of which is determined by the order states were admitted to the Union. Design concepts are submitted to the Secretary of the Treasury by state governors for final approval. The obverse of each quarter is a slight redesign of the quarter's previous design. The cost to manufacture a quarter is about 5 cents, providing a profit of approximately 20 cents per coin. So far, the federal government has made a profit of $4.6 billion from collectors taking the coins out of circulation. In 2009, the U.S. Mint launched a separate program issuing quarters commemorating the District of Columbia and various U.S. territories.
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	PROFILE
	Release Date:	May 30, 2002
	Design:	Pelican Trumpet and musical notes Outline of Louisiana Territory
	Captions:	"Louisiana Purchase"
	Designer:	John Mercanti
	Engraver:	John Mercanti
	Mintage:	Denver Mint   - 402,204,000 Philadelphia Mint   - 362,000,000 Total   -764,204,000
	SPECIFICATIONS
	Denomination:	Quarter Dollar
	Composition:	Copper Nickel alloy 91.67% Cu 8.33% Ni
	Weight:	2.000 oz (5.670 g)
	Diameter:	0.955 in (24.26 mm)
	Thickness:	0.07 in (1.75 mm)
	Edge:	Reeded
	No. of Reeds:	119
	Data Source: The U.S. Mint.