Arkansas Quarter Completes 2003 Series

The Arkansas quarter is the  fifth and last quarter of 2003 and the 25th coin in the State Quarters Program. The coin's design features a diamond, a stalk of rice, and a mallard duck flying over a lake. These images represent the state's landscape and economy.

 Arkansas was part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and was organized as a territory in 1819. It was admitted into the Union on June 15, 1836. 

 Arkansas is home to the oldest diamond mine in North America. Visitors to the mine at Crater of Diamonds State Park can hunt for and keep any diamonds they find. More than 70,000 diamonds have been found there since the area became a state park in the early 1970s. Although most diamonds found by visitors are small (about the size of a matchhead), some notable diamonds have been found there including the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam, the largest diamond ever unearthed in the United States.

 In 1904, W. H. Fuller harvested what many consider Arkansas' first successful commercial rice crop. Today, Arkansas is the number one rice producing state in the country.

 With more than 600,000 acres of natural lakes, and an abundance of clear streams and rivers, Arkansas also attracts sportsmen and hunters. The state is one of the best areas for duck hunting.

 Gov. Mike Huckabee, who unveiled the quarter's design last year, said, "This design captures what we're about as a state and as a people. It promotes our heritage and will show Americans why we proudly call ourselves the Natural State. . . . I'm confident every Arkansan will be proud of our quarter."

 The Arkansas State Quarter is the last quarter of 2003. Earlier this year, coins honoring Illinois, Alabama, Maine, and Missouri were issued. Next years' coins will honor Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin.