2001 North Carolina State Quarter
CVC & Collectables presents the 2001 North Carolina State Quarter, the famous “First Flight” issue of the 50 State Quarters Program, honoring the Wright brothers’ pioneering 1903 flight at Kill Devil Hills.
Coin Highlights
-
Country: United States
-
Denomination: 25 Cents (Quarter Dollar)
-
Series: 50 State Quarters – 12th design overall, 2nd release of 2001
-
Year of Issue: 2001
-
Statehood: North Carolina – 12th state, admitted November 21, 1789 (shown as 1789 on the coin)
-
Release Date: March 12, 2001
-
Mints & Types:
-
2001-P: Philadelphia circulation – 627,600,000
-
2001-D: Denver circulation – 427,876,000
-
2001-S clad proof – 3,094,140
-
2001-S 90% silver proof – 889,697
-
-
Specifications (P/D & S clad):
-
Composition: Copper-nickel clad (75% copper, 25% nickel over pure copper core)
-
Weight: 5.67 g
-
Diameter: 24.3 mm
-
Edge: Reeded
-
-
Specifications (S silver proof): 90% silver, 10% copper; 6.25 g (0.1788 troy oz silver); 24.3 mm diameter
-
Obverse: Modified Washington portrait by John Flanagan (with William Cousins) used for the State Quarters, legends UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, QUARTER DOLLAR
-
Reverse: The 1903 Wright Flyer taking off over the dunes at Kill Devil Hills with Orville in the plane and Wilbur running alongside; inscriptions NORTH CAROLINA 1789, FIRST FLIGHT, 2001, E PLURIBUS UNUM
Historical Significance
North Carolina’s quarter celebrates the first powered, controlled, sustained airplane flight by the Wright brothers on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk / Kill Devil Hills. Though the aircraft was designed and built in Ohio, the coastal winds and dunes of North Carolina provided the ideal testing ground—hence the long-running “First in Flight” claim echoed on the coin.
As the 12th issue in the 50 State Quarters Program, the design links state pride to a world-changing technological milestone. The simple composition—plane, pilot, and sandy landscape—keeps the focus on the moment that launched the age of aviation and helped reshape travel, warfare, and global commerce.
Collectibility
With a combined over 1.05 billion P and D circulation strikes plus just over 3 million clad proofs and under 900k silver proofs, the 2001 North Carolina quarter is common in change but important in any State Quarters run.
-
Circulation (P & D): Ideal for rolls, bags, and album sets; high-grade MS67–MS68 examples are popular with registry collectors, especially well-struck coins showing strong detail in the rigging and dunes.
-
S-mint clad proofs: Mirrorlike fields and frosted devices show off the Wright Flyer design and are standard in 2001 proof sets.
-
S-mint 90% silver proofs: Lower mintages plus silver content make these the premium choice for specialists building high-end State Quarter collections.
Variety and error hunters also watch this issue for dramatic off-center strikes, double-struck pieces, and other “First Flight” errors that can bring strong premiums over face value when certified.
