CVC & Collectables presents the 2005-P California State Quarter, a Philadelphia-mint issue from the 50 State Quarters program featuring naturalist John Muir, a soaring California condor, and Yosemite’s Half Dome.
Coin Highlights
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Maker: United States Mint – Philadelphia (“P” mintmark)
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Date: 2005
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Program: 50 State Quarters – California, 31st coin in the series and 1st release of 2005
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Catalog: KM# 370 (California State Quarter, clad)
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Metal: Copper–nickel clad copper (91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel)
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Weight: 5.67 g
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Diameter / Edge: 24.26 mm; 1.75 mm thick; reeded edge
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Mintage (P business strike): 257,200,000 coins
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Obverse: George Washington portrait by John Flanagan (modified by William Cousins), with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, QUARTER DOLLAR, and P mintmark.
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Reverse: John Muir standing before Yosemite Valley and Half Dome, watching a California condor in flight; inscriptions CALIFORNIA, 1850, JOHN MUIR, YOSEMITE VALLEY, 2005, and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
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Designers: Obverse – John Flanagan / William Cousins; Reverse – Don Everhart.
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Grade: As described in the listing title; please see photos for the exact coin offered.
Historical Significance
Released January 31, 2005, the California quarter honors the 31st state (admitted September 9, 1850) and its world-famous landscapes. The design pairs pioneering conservationist John Muir with Yosemite’s Half Dome and a California condor—an endangered species whose recovery has become a major environmental success story—symbolizing California’s leading role in wilderness preservation and national park history.
Collectibility
As the first 2005 release with a quarter-billion-plus mintage, the 2005-P California State Quarter is widely available yet essential for complete 50 State Quarters sets. Collectors target bright Uncirculated examples that show full detail in Muir’s figure, the condor’s wings, and the granite face of Half Dome, and registry hunters pursue high-grade MS67 coins that bring strong premiums over face. Minor die cracks and chips are known on this issue, giving error specialists extra reasons to search rolls and bags.
