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Nevada
The first commemorative quarter-dollar coin released in 2006 honors
Nevada, and is the 36th coin in the United States Mint's 50 State
Quarters® Program. Nevada, nicknamed "The Silver State," was admitted
into the Union on October 31, 1864, becoming our Nation's 36th state.
Nevada's quarter depicts a trio of wild mustangs, the sun rising behind
snow-capped mountains, bordered by sagebrush and a banner that reads
"The Silver State." The coin also bears the inscriptions "Nevada" and
"1864."
Nevada became a territory in 1861, several years after a Mormon
Battalion in the Mexican War discovered gold and silver in the area of
Virginia City. This discovery would later be referred to as one of the
greatest mineral discoveries, famously known as the Comstock Lode.
Nevada is home to more than 50 percent of the Nation's wild horses. The
wild horses dominate the Great Basin in the vast deserts and the more
than 150 mountain ranges. The first mention of wild horses was
discovered in several journals dating to the 1820s.
On behalf of Governor Kenny Guinn and State Treasurer Brian K. Krolicki,
the Nevada State Quarter Commission accepted design concepts from the
public in the summer of 2004. The 18-member Commission reviewed all
submissions, and forwarded five recommendations to the United States
Mint. The corresponding design images were created by United States Mint
sculptor-engravers and artists in the United States Mint's Artistic
Infusion Program. The citizens of Nevada voted on the designs. More than
60,000 votes were cast, and the people of Nevada favored the galloping
horses design, "The Silver State."
On July 20, 2005, the Department of the Treasury approved the design of
three galloping wild horses, sagebrush, the sun rising behind
snow-capped mountains and the State's nickname, "The Silver State,"
inside a banner. The four other design concepts considered during the
state-wide vote were " Nevada's Early Heritage," featuring a petroglyph
and native artifacts; "Silver Miner," with a miner holding a pick axe in
front of a Comstock mine; "Nevada Wilderness," featuring an image of a
Big Horn Sheep above snow-capped mountains; and "Battle Born Nevada,"
featuring a pair of crossed pick axes fronted by a stylized star,
representing Nevada's entry into the Union.