We have been taking a journey across the nation over the past 10 years, thanks to the U.S. Mint’s 50 State Quarters program. Now, the journey ends with the production of the last quarter: the Hawaii quarter.
Did you know?… The Hawaii state quarter is the only U.S. coin with a design that features royalty!
Who is the royal figure on the Hawaii quarter? It is King Kamehameha I. King Kamehameha was a revolutionary figure who, during his reign in the early 1800s, unified the Hawaiian islands as one kingdom.
Take a look at the reverse (back) of the Hawaii quarter. Do you see that phrase written in Hawaiian, just to the left of King Kamehameha? That is Hawaii’s state motto. “UA MAU KE EA O KA ‘AINA I KA PONO” translates to “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.”
The Hawaii state quarter was struck at the Philadelphia and Denver mints, and proof versions were struck at the San Francisco mint.
Now, let’s see how much the Hawaii state quarters are worth…
2008 Hawaii Quarter Values
Right now, the circulating version (the kind you would get in pocket change, at the bank, or at the store) is worth only face value of 25 cents, if worn.
The Hawaii quarter is worth between 50 cents to $1, if it has no wear whatsoever.
Copper-nickel clad proof versions of the Hawaii quarter are worth around $5.
These days, 90% silver proof Hawaii quarters are worth about $8 — but prices will likely change as demand for the 50 State Quarter series fluctuates now that the series is coming to an end.
The Hawaii Quarter Design
- The Hawaii quarter’s design was chosen by a panel called the “Hawaii Commemorative Quarter Advisory Commission,” a group of 36 people who fielded design concepts from the those in the state. The commission passed along 5 of these design concepts to officials at the U.S. Mint, and then the sculptors and engravers on the U.S. Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program drafted design proposals which were presented to Hawaii and then voted on in an online poll.
- After voting concluded, the Hawaii state governor made the announcement on April 23, 2007 that the King Kamehameha I design was the winner of the poll, as well as the the overall favorite design among those proposed.
- Don Everhart was the engraver of the Hawaii state quarter. His work has been featured on 4 other 50 State Quarter issues:
- 2005 California quarter
- 2006 Nevada quarter
- 2007 Montana quarter
- 2008 New Mexico quarter
Hawaii Quarter Errors
Aside from the typical mint errors, there are no unique errors on the Hawaii state quarter that are known at this time.
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century.
I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek.
I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
