Coin Highlights
Mint: San Francisco
Date: 2004-S
Denomination: Quarter Dollar
Series: 50 State Quarters Program
Composition: Copper-nickel clad over a copper core; 91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel overall
Weight: 5.67 g
Diameter: 24.30 mm
Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 2,740,684
Condition: Gem Proof
Obverse: George Washington
Reverse: One-room schoolhouse with a teacher and students planting a tree, with the inscriptions “Foundation in Education” and “Grant Wood”.
Historical Significance
The Iowa quarter honors the state’s strong association with education. The reverse design was based on “Arbor Day,” a painting by Iowa-born artist Grant Wood, and uses the schoolhouse scene to reflect the theme “Foundation in Education.”
Collectibility
Gem Proof examples are popular with collectors building complete State Quarter proof sets and modern U.S. Mint proof runs. The Iowa issue stands out for its educational theme, recognizable reverse, and its place in one of the most widely collected modern U.S. coin programs. This collector appeal is an inference based on the coin’s proof format, mintage, and series popularity.
