Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger, First Lady Maria Shriver, and Henrietta Holsman
Fore, Director of the US Mint, released the California Quarter into
circulation on January 31, 2005 in Sacramento. The Governor said at the
quarter launch, It is a great pleasure for me, with the help of our
U.S. Mint Director, to put our new California quarter on the map.
The California State
Library coordinated the program from its inception
and served as the official liaison for the event. A special commemorative
coin holder was specifically created for the event and is available for
sale at http://quarter.castatehistory.org/.
The
Governor beamed as he, the First Lady, and Ms. Fore handed children the
first California quarters from the US Mint. Lines of people snaked around
the California History Museum hours before Wells Fargo, the event's
sponsor bank, released the quarters to the public.