|
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
PRESS RELEASE
(for immediate release – Monday, May 19, 2008)
Contact: click here to email newsroom
Office: (684) 633-4116 - Fax: (684) 633-2269 - Cell: (684) 733-4680
Gov. Togiola receives three designs for Territorial Quarter from U.S. Mint
click here to learn more about competition and submissions
(UTULEI) - Governor Togiola Tulafono today announced that the United States Mint has created three candidate designs for the American Samoa Quarter – the 25 cent coin that will be produced as part of the congressional 50 State and Territory Quarters Program.
Governor Togiola said after collaborating with the United States Mint since February to ensure historical accuracy and proper representation of the three candidate designs, the artwork will now be presented to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and the Commission of Fine Arts for review.
"We have received the three beautiful candidate designs and the artists at the U.S. Mint have done an excellent job in creating these designs through the narratives and artwork that we received from local submissions in February," said Governor Togiola. "The advisory committee and fine arts commission in Washington DC will now review the candidate designs and make recommendations on how to improve and enhance the designs, and the United States Mint, in consultation with us in American Samoa, may, if any, make changes to address the recommendations of the committee and commission."
Governor Togiola said after this part of the process, the Office of the Governor will recommend from among the final designs its primary and secondary design choices. In June, the U.S. Mint will present the primary recommended design from the Territory of American Samoa to the Secretary of the Treasury for approval.
“I am very happy that we have received the three designs and I am sure that all our wonderful school children, their teachers and parents, local artists and aspiring artists and concerned individuals are speculating about what the final design selection would look like and what best represents the spirit of American Samoa,” said Governor Togiola. ”As you can see in the three candidate designs, each design attempts to best capture what totally makes us unique as a proud people with a proud culture and traditions, and a beautiful island home that is part of America.”
Candidate Designs Based on the Following Narratives Submitted to the U.S. Mint
Finalist AS-01:
A man with traditional Samoan tattoo (soga’imiti) stands tall, holding a dried coconut cup, which is used during the ava ceremony, symbolizing the importance of servitude in Samoan culture. Coconut leaves (fronds), leaves of a breadfruit tree (with two breadfruits) and taro leaves signifying the three staples of Samoa.
Finalist AS-02:
Symbols of Samoan life: Fale (guest house); Tuiga (ceremonial headdress); Tanoa (ava [kava] bowl); Fue (orator’s fly whisk); To’oto’o (orator’s staff). The inscription “Samoa Muamua Le Atua” (the Territory’s motto which means, “Samoa, Let God Be First”).
Finalist AS-03:
The tanoa (ava [kava] bowl) is used to make Samoa’s special ceremonial drink for chiefs and guests; The fue (fly whisk) symbolizes wisdom of the orator, while the to’oto’o (staff) signifies authority. The inscription “Samoa Muamua Le Atua” (the Territory’s motto which means, “Samoa, Let God Be First”).
The American Samoa Quarter (25 cent coin) will be minted and issued by the U.S. Mint in 2009. There were 55 submissions received by the Office of the Governor in February.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On December 27, 2007, President George W. Bush signed legislation for American Samoa, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Washington DC to have their own commemorative quarter-dollars in 2009. The new 25 cent coin will continue to feature image of President George Washington on the obverse (heads side) of each quarter. The image on the reverse (tails side) will commemorate the history, geography or traditions of American Samoa.
Designs cannot be designs that are protected by law. And they cannot be representations of heads and shoulders nor portraits of any person, living or dead.
The 50 State Quarters coins is a ten-year program that was introduced in 1999. It will end this year with the issuance of the Hawaii commemorative quarter, marking the 50th State to be honored. A provision was added by Congress to the 2008 Consolidated.
Appropriations Act to produce the Territorial Quarters for American Samoa, the other territories and Washington DC, which will be honored first in 2009.
Further information on The 50 State Quarters (R) Program and the 2008 Consolidated
Appropriations Act is available at www.usmint.gov/pressroom
---americansamoa.gov---
|
