Citizen Staff Writer
Arizona has coined a quarter.
A design combining the Grand Canyon and a saguaro in the desert will represent Arizona on its state quarter, the 48th in the series. The two vistas will be separated by a banner that reads: “The Grand Canyon State.”
Gov. Janet Napolitano made the decision Monday, after state Treasurer Dean Martin said he would recommend the same coin.
It beat out images of the Grand Canyon only, the desert only, the Navajo Code Talkers and John Wesley Powell’s 19th-century exploration of the Grand Canyon.
The chosen design was winnowed from 1,159 submitted and further refined by the U.S. Mint, Martin said. The coin will enter circulation next year.
BLAKE MORLOCK
bmorlock@tucsoncitizen.com