The United States Mint 2008 Hawaii Official First Day Coin Cover went on sale Monday for the price of $14.95, plus $4.95 for standard shipping and handling.
The 35,000 limited edition covers are the 50th and final in the series and include two Hawaii state quarters with reverse designs featuring monarch King Kamehameha I stretching his hand toward the eight major Hawaiian Islands. Inscriptions include the state motto "UA MAU KE EA O KA ‘AINA I KA PONO" ("The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness"), "Hawaii" and "1959," which is the year Hawaii was admitted into the Union.
King Kamehameha I is a revered figure in Hawaiian history. While maintaining the native practices and traditional ways of island life, he brought about change yet still unified the governance of the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom in the early 1800s.
The quarter-dollars in the Hawaii First Day Coin Cover were collected from the first day of their mintage — October 9, 2008. One quarter is from the Mint’s Denver facility and bears the "D" mintmark while the other is minted from Philadelphia with a "P" mintmark.
The display card housing the two state quarters includes one of the four U.S. 42-cent Flags 24/7 stamps and a postmark of November 3, 2008, Kapaau, HI — the date the Hawaiian quarters are released into public circulation.
The Hawaii state quarter is last coin released in the United States Mint 50 State Quarters® Program. The highly popular program began in 1999 and has seen over 33.7 billion state quarters struck (state quarter production figures for Alaska and Hawaii are not yet released). New D.C. and U.S. Territory quarters will continue in 2009.
Ordering information
Online orders may be placed on the U.S. Mint’s product and order page:
2008 Hawaii Official First Day Coin Cover
The covers may also be purchased through the Mint’s toll-free number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468).
The Mint indicated purchased covers will begin shipping December 15, 2008.
