About

Secrets of the 50 State Quarters revealed! Discover how a fresh look at your pocket change can change the way you look at the world.

   Quarterama: Ideas & Designs of America’s State Quarters is a lavishly designed 160-page gift book presenting an entertaining tour across America’s favorite pocket change. (Hardbound ISBN 978-0-9845624-0-4; $49.95; Softbound ISBN 978-0-9845624-1-1; $34.95; Newtona, February 2011). Super-sized, enhanced art reveals seldom noticed, yet meaningful coin details. Special foldouts follow the California State Quarter’s creation from sketchbook to minting and the Braille dot code seen on Alabama’s coin is deciphered in actual Braille printing. Also covered are the new National Parks Quarters, a concise history of the commemorative coin series, and the often misunderstood mottos Liberty, In God We Trust and E Pluribus Unum. The deluxe hardbound edition doubles as a 1999-2009 coin album with unique inside-the-covers slots.

    Quarterama: America’s Treasured National Parks Quarters is a trifold coin album for collecting the U.S. Mint’s new 2010-2021 coin series celebrating places of natural beauty and cultural distinction. (ISBN 978-0-9845624-2-8; $19.95; Newtona, February 2011). This beautifully designed folding album allows all 56 coins to be stored in a notched, color coded system. The “Hello, I’m a Coin” section puts quarter-dollars in the spotlight and a special tribute to Theodore Roosevelt honors this legendary champion of both the wilderness and inspired coin artistry.

    Quarterama was created by award-winning artist Garrett Burke, concept designer of the California State Quarter. The book goes beyond the who, what, where and when of each design, exploring the essential why of each coin’s idea. Garrett says “For instance, I knew very little about Caesar Rodney on horseback until seeing Delaware’s quarter. Enduring an all-night ride in a thunderstorm, Rodney cast the tie-breaking vote to adopt the Declaration of Independence. ‘Make Your Vote Count’ is the powerful idea inside each Delaware coin.”

    Garrett’s designs have been recognized by The Library of Congress, Graphis, The Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards, American Corporate Identity, and in numerous books. Active in the numismatic community, he received the American Numismatic Association’s prestigious Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture and designed commemorative medals for the ANA’s 2005 and 2009 World’s Fair of Money conventions. Raised in Philadelphia, Garrett is an honors graduate of New York’s Pratt Institute School of Art & Design and lives in Southern California.