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Effigy Mounds monument scene permanently molded into new quarter

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Edmore Green, tribal chair of the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska, was one of several featured speakers at the launch of the “America the Beautiful” coin honoring Effigy Mounds National Monument on Feb. 7. (Photo by Audrey Posten)

Noah, Sid and J.T. (from left), all of Simi Valley, Calif., came to northeast Iowa last week specifically to take in the history, scenery and special events commemorating the first America the Beautiful Quarter of 2017. (Photo by Correne Martin)

Around 60 curious coin collectors and coin enthusiasts asked questions of the U.S. Mint Philadelphia plant supervisor during a local forum last week, in celebration of the newly-released America the Beautiful Effigy Mounds National Monument Quarter. (Photo by Correne Martin)

Coin collectors from all over the area, and the country, got a close look at numerous U.S. Mint commemorative collections during a forum at Effigy Mounds National Monument Feb. 6. (Photo by Correne Martin)

Many of the mounds created over 2,000 years ago are now gone, said Effigy Mounds Superintendent Jim Nepstad, “but thankfully, many were preserved in places like Effigy Mounds.” Nepstad spoke at the coin launch held Feb. 7, in Waukon. (Photo by Audrey Posten)

Marc Landry, plant superintendent at the U.S. Mint at Philadelphia, Pa., was the guest speaker at the coin forum. He shared many unknown facts about the Mint. (Photo by Correne Martin)

Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles detailing the Effigy Mounds National Monument.

By Correne Martin and Audrey Posten

A shiny new United States quarter is garnering northeast Iowa and Effigy Mounds National Monument a wealth of attention. Coin collectors from around the country rolled into the area last week for the Feb. 7 ceremonial release of the U.S. Mint America the Beautiful Effigy Mounds Quarter.

This was the first release for the 2017 five-quarter series, which will also include Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, District of Columbia, April 3; Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri, June 5; Ellis Island (Statue of Liberty National Monument), New Jersey, Aug. 28; and George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, Indiana, Nov. 13.

One of many visitors who attended the coin launch at Allamakee Community Schools in Waukon Feb. 7, and the coin collectors’ forum at Effigy Mounds Feb. 6, was Noah Plagenza, 18, of Simi Valley, Calif. He was here with his dad, Sid, who’s collected since he was a boy, and his 13-year-old brother J.T.

“The first release we attended was the Yosemite (National Park quarter) one. My dad’s aiming to get to at least half of [the 56 quarter releases honoring national parks and sites] and he takes one of us kids along when he can, depending on our school schedules,” Noah said.

The young man noted that he, specifically, has been to three other America the Beautiful Quarter releases, including Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, Great Basin National Park in Nevada and Arches National Park in Utah. His dad, however, has attended over 30.

“I thought it would be a great way to see the country,” Sid said.

“I like going and seeing the country and meeting people,” Noah added.

While traveling to Iowa for these events, the Plagenzas flew into the Twin Cities so Noah, a high school senior, could look at a college there. He said his family has appreciated how friendly the Midwestern people are.

He also commented, after experiencing the cold and snow here, “I’m gonna learn to appreciate our boring California weather a lot more.”

The Plagenzas weren’t the only enthusiasts from out of town at the coin collectors’ forum at Effigy Mounds. Also in attendance were their friends from other parts of the country, who they’ve met and spent time with at various America the Beautiful Quarter events.

They all enjoyed listening to speaker Marc Landry, plant superintendent at the U.S. Mint at Philadelphia, Pa. He and a few of his East Coast team members shared basic background about the Mint’s facilities and functions and also answered questions for about 60 coin aficionados who packed a conference room at Effigy Mounds Feb. 6.

Certainly, a point of humor on the evening related to politics. One of the audience members asked about the current diplomatic state of the U.S. Mint in general.

“We don’t really anticipate any changes under the current administration,” stated Landry, who has worked for the Mint for nine years and comes from a mainly manufacturing background. “We can’t create our own coins, except for in 24 karat gold (commemoratives). We do what Congress legislates us to do.”

Landry said the Mint continues to look at new technologies to drive cost of production down while also maintaining that very bright, brilliant coin with a fine image.

“We have some great products in silver and gold,” he said, declaring that a second round of national parks quarters has been a consideration of the department.

The America the Beautiful Quarters Program is a multi-year initiative to honor 56 national parks and other national sites in each state, District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Five new reverse (tails) designs appear on the quarter each year, a register that began in 2010 and continues through 2020, with one design in 2021 to conclude the series. The coins are issued in the order in which the featured site was first established as a national park or site. The obverse (heads) of these quarters continues to bear the familiar 1932 John Flannagan image of George Washington.

Landry said, if a second round was approved, the Mint would go through the whole process of choosing parks in addition to the 56 already slated to be honored and then creating the coins, releasing them, etc.
He also informed the crowd that an Apollo 11 commemorative coin may be released in 2019, though legislation has not yet been finalized for it.

The coin collectors also learned last week that about 450 people currently work for the Philadelphia Mint plant, including manufacturers, artists, engravers and police protection. He explained that the Philadelphia plant alone produces between 1.6 billion and 2 billion coins per year and ships to 200-plus federal reserve locations.

“We try to produce a fairly level amount of coins throughout the year to keep up with the demand,” Landry said.

Philadelphia supplies the eastern half of the United States, from the Mississippi River to the coast, with its money, while the Denver Mint supplies the western half of the country.

The average life span of a coin, he shared, is 25 to 30 years, though the life span of a dollar bill note is much shorter, more like three to five years.

So, by the year 2047, the probability of finding an Effigy Mounds National Monument Quarter in circulation will be rare. Until then, local residents have been purchasing the new quarters by the rolls. A limit of 10 rolls per person was put on purchasers at the official launch Feb. 7. Kerndt Brothers Bank, in Decorah, was chosen as the official bank sponsor for the first exchanges of the quarter. The six other Kerndt Brothers locations in Lansing, Harpers Ferry, West Union, Clermont, Cedar Rapids and Waukon also have the new Effigy Mounds Quarter to distribute.

Jim Nepstad, Effigy Mounds superintendent, is particularly pleased with how the coin looks. The quarter’s reverse depicts an aerial view of mounds in the Marching Bear Group—the only cluster of mounds in the park where bear and bird mounds can be found in close proximity.

“I am happy with how well the mounds stand out,” Nepstad stated. “I can’t believe the amount of detail that’s possible in something as small as a quarter.”

Nepstad also joked with the Mint representatives, “I just don’t have the heart to tell [the designer] that this mound (pointing to the bird on the bottom) is upside down.”

The design was the brainchild of Richard Masters, an Iowa native and artist, who is a member of the Artistic Infusion Program (AIP), a group of independent professional artists who assist the U.S. Mint in creating new designs for coins and medals.

Created in 1949, Effigy Mounds National Monument, located three miles north of Marquette, preserves over 200 prehistoric American Indian burial and ceremonial mounds, including some in the shape of animals.

Those gathered at the coin launch hope this quarter will foster a deeper appreciation and understanding of Effigy Mounds and the early mound builders, while also encouraging more people to visit the monument.

“This will help people understand the essence of Effigy Mounds,” stated Edmore Green, tribal chair of the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska.

“The mounds were built 2,000 years ago by my relatives,” he shared. “We were not discovered. We were always here. People are going to know we’ve always stood here.”

Peggy Whitson, an Iowa native and astronaut and biochemistry researcher for NASA, sent a recorded message from the International Space Station, which was shared at the release. She recalled studying Iowa history in fifth grade and wondering what the mound builders thought, and the sense of wonder they felt, as they constructed the mounds.

“The effigy mound builders were inspired to think about things bigger than themselves,” Whitson remarked, “and the mounds, to this day, continue to have the same effect on those who are lucky enough to visit this amazing site.”

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