The major appropriations bill for the federal government's fiscal year 2008 budget included scores of amendments tacked on by various members of congress, mostly funding pet projects in the manner commonly called "pork barrel funding." Two of the amendments deal with coins; one of them pertains to the placement of In God We Trust on the Presidential Dollars. The other coin-related amendment, which is widely touted as being an extension of the Statehood Quarters Program, requires that the U.S. Mint issue six Quarter Dollar coins in 2009 to honor the five U.S. Territories and Washington, D.C. But nowhere in this legislation does the term "Statehood Quarters" appear (although it is clearly implied by reference to Section 5112 of Title 31 USC (scroll down to Section L) which is the law that defines the coinage.) The title of this new amendment is "Redesign and Issuance of Circulating Quarter Dollar Honoring the District of Columbia and Each of the Territories."

So, is this an extension of the Statehood Quarters Program or not? Readers shared some interesting comments about this when I first posted the breaking news story regarding the Washington, D.C. and U.S. Territories coins:

Did I miss something? When did Guam and DC become a state? ONLY STATES SHOULD HAVE “STATE QUARTERS.” --Jim Leonard

The US Mint has been turned into a supply house for Ebay merchants. We do not need 6 coins for non-states and then we have more dollar coins that no one actually uses. Enough already. --Doug Hubka

Come on people, let’s honor our whole country, including the “territories” whose native people fight and stand with us to keep this great country free! --Tony Zelisko

As far as the State Quarters, the territories and District of Columbia should have their own designation (Territorial/DC Quarters?).

State Quarters are just that - State Quarters. We have 50 States and there can not, nor should there be more than 50 State Quarters.

Give the other six their own name. --Chuck

To me, the most eye-opening comment came from "Metalman," who said (in part):

...I have no interest in purchasing new folders just to accommodate these new additions. --Metalman

This is a really good point! Are we supposed to throw out our old folders so that we can keep "year 11" coins in the same set? Or should Whitman, et al, make a separate 12 to 24 hole folder just for the "D.C. & Territories Quarters" set? After all, it requires 24 holes nowadays to display a 6-coin issue: you have 6 coins from each of 2 circulation-production mints (Philadelphia and Denver,) plus 6 more coins that have the "Satin Finish," and a final 6 that are Proof strikes. Oh wait! That's 30 holes, because I forgot the Silver Proofs (struck on 90% silver planchets.) Seriously, most coin folders only have room for the circulation strikes, and many State Quarter folders only have 1 slot for each type, but none of the current Statehood Quarter folders have holes for the 6 Territorial & D.C. coins. Album users (such as Dansco types) are lucky: they just need to add a page into their binders.

Can we settle the question of whether these coins are really an extension of the Statehood Quarters Program, or merely another series modeled after the Statehood Quarters? I say that it is a separate series modeled after the other, partly because the title of the legislation (including several failed versions) has always been related to honoring the Territories and Washington, D.C., not as an extension to the Statehood Quarters Program despite nearly every journalist who covered the various bills getting it wrong. Another good reason is that the places being honored aren't "states" at all, as many readers pointed out. One of the most hilarious (and utterly clueless) bits of blather I've seen is written about this subject refers to one of the failed D.C. and Territories coin bills (HR-392, in 2007.) It was written by a blogger called "The Bill Reader," who (supposedly) "reads [congressional] bills so you don't have to." He says:

HR 392 extends a fairly silly, but low cost program. In the long run, the mint will probably make more money than they spent on the new presses (or whatever they have to do to change the designs) off of "limited edition" collections marketed on late night TV. --The Bill Reader

Writers like this guy, who obviously don't even know what they're talking about, are the main reason people are confused about much of what the U.S. Mint does (which doesn't include selling collections on late-night TV.) Guys like this are why the Presidential Dollars series is widely dubbed the "Godless Dollars," even though the coins which erroneously lacked the In God We Trust motto account for less than two-tenths of one percent of all Presidential Dollars minted thus far.

So keep in mind that although the D.C. & Territories program will be widely dubbed "a Statehood Quarters extension" or the "11th year of State Quarters," you and I both know the truth. ;)