The design for the reverse (tails) side of the Massachusetts coin features a Minuteman in front of an outline of the state, and the words "The Bay State."

The 50 State Quarters Program is a 10-year celebration of the United States in which five coins are issued each year to honor one of the states. The quarters are issued in the order in which the states were admitted to the union. 

In 1999, quarters commemorating the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut were released.

Later this year, quarters honoring the states of Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Virginia will be issued. The New York State quarter will be the first one issued in 2001.