New Nevada quarters circulate in Las Vegas with running wild horses, sagebrush design
Nevada’s new quarters are in circulation in Las Vegas and elsewhere in the state. We were fortunate to have obtained two of the new quarters, one minted in Philadelphia, and the other in Denver. They came free, from Nevada State Bank, a platinum sponsor of the Preview Las Vegas 2007 event the other day. This is the first time we’ve ever seen a bank give away money. It brings to mind the days in the fifties when savings and loan associations would give away free toasters or toaster ovens to new clients who came in and opened an account.
Bill Martin, Nevada State Bank president and CEO, doesn’t miss a chance for good public relations and advertising. He’s seen on television driving an armored car down a rural highway; frequently he’s on radio about that “mocha-loca frappie thingy” and other inventive commercials. Now it’s the Nevada quarter in a handsome full-color fold-out souvenir keeper. It provides a civics lesson for the recently arrived and for those from Rio Linda, to wit:
- Nevada is the 36th state to enter the Union, admission day being Oct. 31. 1864.
- Capital: Carson City.
- Motto: “All for our Country.”
- Flower: Sagebrush.
- Tree: Bristlecone Pine or single-Leaf Piñon.
- Bird: Mountain Bluebird.
- 2005 population: 2,441,080.
Some individuals, depending on their business interests, are critical of the Nevada quarter’s design on its reverse side, railing that a casino, or slot machine and something from silver mining should have been included. As the saying in Spanish goes, allá ellos (that’s their opinion, not mine). It was school children who chose the design. The explanation in the souvenir piece reads:
“Nevada’s children cast the deciding vote for the state’s quarter design, which features three mustangs running wild and free as the sun rises over a backdrop of snowcapped mountains. Two twigs of sagebrush, the state flower, and a banner proclaiming the state’s nickname, the Silver State, complete the design.”
The kids rule on this one, folks. Kids like animals, so the wild horses of Nevada got their vote.
