50 State Quarters Rated: 1999

This post is the first of a sporadic 10-part series in which I will offer my opinion on the designs of each of the state quarters in the U.S. Mint's 50 State Quarters Program. We'll group them by year of issue, and rate them on a scale with 25¢ as the maximum.

Delaware
I didn't know who Caesar Rodney was when this quarter first came out. Then, I saw the play 1776 and realized that he rode eighty miles through an overnight thunderstorm to reach Philadelphia in time to break a deadlock on the vote for independence. Pretty cool stuff. Given that Delaware has little else to boast about, his choice is as good as anything. I don't like how they include his name there, but without it, it would just be a generic guy on horseback.
Rating: 15¢

Pennsylvania
This quarter gets points for the state outline and the little keystone silhouette, which is an important emblem for Pennsylvania. But the generic-looking allegorical statute and the non-descript motto really doesn't tell me a damn thing about the state. Why not include Independence Hall or the Three Rivers of Pittsburgh or Ben Franklin or a bunch of Amish guys?
Rating: 10¢

New Jersey
The petrochemical plants of Elizabeth or Tony Soprano would not portray the state in a very favorable light. (A portrait of Bon Jovi, though, would be great.) So, New Jersey opted to replicate a scene from a famous painting that depicted an important turning point in the American Revolution. Very classy.
Rating: 20¢

Georgia
I am generally a fan of state quarters that feature an outline of the state, so we know exactly what we're talking about. The peach is a great touch, since peach imagery is so pervasive down in Georgia. But what's with another generic motto on an assymetrical scroll? And what do those branches have to do with anything?
Rating: 15¢

Connecticut
This quarter has a tree, devoid of leaves, next to a stone wall. That's it. I know it's the Charter Oak, which was a tree in Hartford where the original colony charter was hidden when some British guy threatened to destroy it. Evidently, it's a big enough deal in Connecticut to name a bridge after it, but the quarter itself provides almost no information about the state.
Rating: 5¢