First family on hand as Mint strikes Okla. state quarter

p /> "It is very exciting," said Henry, who struck a quarter after his daughter, Baylee, and wife Kim. Wearing protective plastic glasses, they smiled as they posed for photos with the quarter amid the rumbling machines.

"This is Oklahoma's chance to shine throughout the country, and the world, frankly," Henry said.

Between 300 and 500 million Oklahoma quarters are expected to be produced, Hernandez said. The coin is scheduled to go in circulation on Jan. 28.

The tails side of the Oklahoma features a scissortail flycatcher, the state bird, flying over the state wildflower, the Indian blanket. The coin is also inscribed with "1907," the year Oklahoma became a state.

Henry asked Oklahomans for design suggestions, and about 1,000 submitted written ideas. About a half-million Oklahomans then voted for their favorite design, Henry said. The U.S. Commission on Fine Arts selected the design from the voters' top five choices.

The coin will be placed in circulation Jan. 28.

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