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February 15, 2005 Dear Secretary Snow: A public meeting of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee was held on January 25, 2005 at United States Mint headquarters in Washington, DC. Attending the meeting were Tom Noe (Chairman), Mitch Sanders (Vice Chairman), Ute Wartenberg Kagan (Secretary, by phone), Leon Billings, Bill Fivaz, Rita Laws (by phone), Robert Remini (by phone), and Ken Thomasma. The committee reviewed proposed designs for the North Dakota, Nebraska, and Nevada state quarters. These coins will be released in the year 2006. For the North Dakota quarter the committee’s preference was design #1, “Agriculture.” The Agriculture theme with its representation of a modern farm was praised by members as an excellent representation of the state. Members felt that the design could be improved by omitting the farmhouse, enhancing the definition of the crop fields, and increasing the size of the trees. For Nebraska’s quarter the committee preferred design #4, “Standing Bear,” by a very slight margin over design #2, “Chimney Rock.” Members described the Chimney Rock design, featuring the natural rock formation as viewed by pioneers heading westward, as meaningful and historic. Regarding the Standing Bear design, members suggested enlarging the Chief’s image as much as possible, and rotating the pipe axe so that the bowl of the pipe is visible. Members also advised that the wording on the Standing Bear design should be expressed in a linear form in the field of the design rather than around the perimeter. The committee’s most preferred design for the Nevada quarter was design #2, “Nevada Wilderness.” The “Silver State” theme on design #1 also received considerable support. Members were very enthusiastic about the desert bighorn sheep on the Nevada Wilderness design, and widely praised this image as both innovative and aesthetically appealing. For the Silver State design, members recommended removing the shovel and moving the pick from the miner's right shoulder to the left, toward the right rim. It was further recommended that the size of the miner should be reduced, and the mountains in the background should be enlarged. Members suggested that the motto “The Silver State” could be substituted for the motto currently appearing on the Nevada Wilderness design. It was also agreed that either of these designs would be significantly harmed by the addition of a state outline. Images of the CCAC’s recommended designs are attached. Also enclosed are the minutes of the November 16, 2004 and January 25, 2005 meetings, containing details of the committee’s deliberations along with images of all designs evaluated. The next CCAC meeting is scheduled for March 15, 2005. Sincerely, Thomas Noe Chairman