California's rich history and natural resources are the focus of the 20 semifinalist designs for its 2005 State quarter dollar.
The designs were posted Dec. 31 on Gov. Gray Davis' Web site at www.governor.ca.gov. Californians are encouraged to vote for their favorite design in a nonbinding poll online.
The state received more than 8,000 designs, according to a letter posted on the Web site from Dr. Kevin Starr, California state librarian. Starr serves as chair of the California Quarter Selection Committee.
Designs were accepted from Sept. 9 until Nov. 9. Submissions were restricted to either native Californians (born there) or current California residents.
Most of California's well-known icons are depicted: the California grizzly, the Golden Gate Bridge, gold mining, motion picture industry, mountains and other natural resources. Some designs feature additional text (in addition to the statutory inscriptions) while others do not. The most frequently used legends range from THE GOLDEN STATE to A GOLDEN MOMENT to GOLDEN STATE to THE GOLDEN GATE to EUREKA, the state's motto.
Natural resources
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STATE THEMES REPEATED on a number of the 20 semi-finalist designs for the 2005 California quarter dollar include the Golden Gate Bridge, natural wonders, agriculture, film making and the sea, the latter in a very stylized design. State officials want Californians' opinions on the designs in a nonbinding online poll.
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One design pays homage to conservationist John Muir with a depiction of the wilderness explorer admiring the view of the high cliffs and waterfalls of the Yosemite Valley. The text reads JOHN MUIR and YOSEMITE VALLEY. Muir was one of America's most influential conservationists. He founded the Sierra Club in 1892. He was born in 1838 and died in 1914.
Another design features depictions of different native California trees, including a giant redwood, Joshua tree, and palm tree.
A very specific type of tree is the theme on another design showing a lone giant sequoia with text THE LARGEST LIVING THING ON EARTH and its Latin name, SEQUOIADENDRON GIGANTEA. The appearance of tree rings can be seen on the surface of the design. The design also features the wrong date, 2004.
Still another focuses on a stylized view of ocean waves and a sun with rays.
Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom, and a grizzly bear appear on a another design reminiscent of the Great Seal of the State of California. Minerva wears an ancient Greek helmet and holds a gold nugget in her outstretched right hand, takes center stage on another design. Standing alongside her is a California grizzly bear with poppy blossoms in the foreground and a sailing ship in the background.
Six of the designs focus on California's gold mining history, with the focus being either solely on a prospector or on a prospector featured with other California symbols.
Golden Gate Bridge
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AMONG THE THEMES illustrated by the seven semi-finalist designs shown on this page are Minerva and the grizzly bear, both from the state arms, upper left. The Golden Gate Bridge appears on several designs, as do prospectors (illustrating the state's Gold Rush history), natural wonders and film making.
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Half of the semi-finalist designs incorporate different views of the Golden Gate suspension bridge that spans San Francisco Bay connecting San Francisco and Oakland, Calif. Some of the designs make the 8,981-foot long bridge the focal point while others use it in the background or as part of a collage of important structures such as mission churches, trolley cars or references to the state's motion picture industry.
One of the bridge-influenced designs shows palms, evergreens and the famous Hollywood sign. Another shows a female allegorical figure holding a poppy blossom, the state flower, in one hand and gesturing toward the bridge with the other. Another design incorporates the poppy, a roll of movie film, the Hollywood sign, the outline of the state and a star similar to those found in the Walkway of the Stars.
Another features a view of the bridge in the background with a gold nugget and a banner that states EUREKA in the foreground. Another shows a giant redwood with the Golden Gate Bridge behind it and the roadway of the bridge becoming a section of movie film depicting a close-up of a miner panning for gold and a partridge, the state bird. Another view shows the bridge with the outline of the state in the background.
State outline
Five of the 20 semi-finalists use a state outline. One design features a state outline with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge along with an old-time movie cameraman and camera superimposed over the outline. On another, a weathered prospector pans for gold with the outline of the state in the background and text that states THE GOLDEN STATE.
One design shows a small outline of the state with a cornucopia superimposed over one side of the outline, a reference to California's fertile farmland.
Another design features a view of the Golden Gate Bridge superimposed over the outline of the state. Another shows the outline along with four other California symbols.
Motion picture industry
The movie industry is featured in several of the designs. One shows a strip of film with individual images of the California missions, a prospector, the Golden Gate Bridge and a movie camera. Another features a strip of film, a sequence of DNA, poppy blossoms, the mountains, a prospector and a jet airplane flying over a mountain range.
California officials started the design process in 2002. Staff from Davis' office and the state library sorted through the designs and eliminated the ones that did not meet the requirements. Copies of the qualifying designs were then placed in binders and sent to each member of the California State Quarter Committee. Committee members ranked their top 20 choices from the qualifying designs.
Those choices were then returned to the state library and tallied to determine the 20 semifinalists. Those designs are now on display in the California statehouse to give recognition to those who participated in the design process.
Davis will select five designs from the 20 semifinalists. California is required to submit its selections to the U.S. Mint by March 2003.
