Coin Highlights
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Maker: United States Mint – Philadelphia (“P” mintmark)
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Date: 2006
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Program: 50 State Quarters – North Dakota, 39th coin in the series and 4th release of 2006
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Metal: Copper–nickel clad (91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel)
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Weight: 5.67 g
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Diameter / Edge: 24.3 mm; reeded edge
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Mintage (P business strike): 305,800,000 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: Two American bison grazing in the foreground with a sunset view of North Dakota’s Badlands buttes and canyons; inscriptions NORTH DAKOTA, 1889, 2006, and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
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Designers: Obverse – John Flanagan / William Cousins; Reverse – Donna Weaver.
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Grade: As described in the listing title; please see photos for the exact coin offered.
Historical Significance
Released August 28, 2006, the North Dakota quarter honors the 39th state, admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889. The design theme “Badlands with Bison” highlights two enduring symbols of the Northern Plains: the American bison herds that once covered these grasslands and the stark buttes and canyons of the Badlands region.
Together they evoke frontier ranching history, Native cultures, and the preserved landscapes now protected in places like Theodore Roosevelt National Park—tying North Dakota’s rugged natural beauty directly into the State Quarters series.
Collectibility
The 2006-P North Dakota quarter has the highest combined P+D mintage of the 2006 State Quarters, yet remains a required issue for any complete 50 State Quarters run. Collectors gravitate toward bright Uncirculated examples with strong luster and crisp detail in the bison and Badlands ridges, as the open fields can easily show marks in circulation.
For error and variety specialists, North Dakota is an active hunting ground: known off-metal pieces (such as “washer” planchet strikes), “five-legged buffalo” die breaks on the legs, and other dramatic striking anomalies can bring healthy premiums over face when certified.
