The state bird and wildflower are featured on the coins, which will reach general circulation this week.

Ordinarily, she'd wait to find a new state quarter in a handful of change from QuikTrip or hope to get one from a vending machine.

"That's part of the fun of collecting them," said Marie Akins. "Never knowing when or where you'll see one that you don't have."

But not Monday. Not with the Oklahoma state quarter.

Enthusiasts went to BancFirst locations statewide to be among the first collectors to have the Oklahoma coin. Other banks nationwide will begin distributing the quarter this week.

"It's special because it's ours," said Akins, one of the first people to walk out with a roll of state quarters at the branch near 41st Street and Yale Avenue. "Every quarter is different, and it says something about the place it came from. Ours says 'Oklahoma.' "

The tails side of the quarter features a scissor-tail flycatcher zooming across a field of Indian blanket flowers.

Oklahoma chose the design with an Internet poll last year, when the state bird and state wildflower beat out a design that included Ponca City's Pioneer Woman statue.

It's the 46th coin in the series of state quarters.

It's also the 46th in Peter Mitchell's collection, which he keeps in a trifold map of the country, each coin placed on its own state.

"When it's finished, I'm going to give the whole thing to my grandson," who's 5, Mitchell said. "I keep picturing him giving it to his grandson someday."

Circulated by the millions, the state quarters were never intended to have more than face value. BancFirst is "selling" rolls for $10, or 25 cents per quarter.

But over time, complete collections could become rare, and therefore valuable, especially if the coins haven't been circulated, said Andrea Metcalf, branch manager of the BancFirst near 91st Street and Yale Avenue.

The first several customers Monday at each BancFirst branch received a commemorative postcard, with a freshly minted state quarter tucked safely inside a protective sleeve. They likely will become a collector's item, Metcalf said.

Still, it's not about "investing" in the coins, she said.

"People just like them," she said. "They're fun."

Receiving an early shipment of $200,000 in quarters, BancFirst had the honor of circulating the coin early because it's the largest state-chartered bank in Oklahoma, Metcalf said.

Other banks will make the coin available as shipments arrive from the U.S. Mint.

In Oklahoma City, officials marked the quarter's release Monday with a ceremony at the Oklahoma History Center.

Dan Shaver, acting deputy director of the U.S. Mint, said the quarter's design is "simply stunning" and will serve as "a lasting, nationwide tribute to Oklahoma, its heritage and its people."

"The Oklahoma quarter is about to become a very popular coin," he said.

An estimated 147 million people collect the state coins.

Roughly 500 million Oklahoma quarters will be minted during a 10-week period, Shaver said.

After that, they will never be produced again.

Schoolchildren who attended the ceremonial launch received a free Oklahoma quarter, which Gov. Henry urged them to save.

"One day you can show it to your children and grandchildren and tell them you were there when the Oklahoma quarter was placed in circulation," Henry said.

Richard Chadwick, who owns Davis' Arbuckle Coins, helped spearhead volunteer efforts to winnow the more than 1,000 original suggestions made for the quarter.

He said the chosen design is beautiful and artistic.

As the coins age and are passed around in circulation, the bird's tail and the flowers might become a little smudged, he said.

But "overall, even when the coin is worn, you will still be able to tell it's a scissor-tail flycatcher," he said.

To preserve the quarters, Chadwick recommended keeping the coins in an archive-safe protective holder and away from ultraviolet light and moisture. The holders can be purchased at coin shops.

Michael Overall 581-8383
michael.overall@tulsaworld.com

Angel Riggs (405) 528-2465
angel.riggs@tulsaworld.com

COIN SPECIFICATIONS

Standard weight: 5.67 0 grams

Standard diameter: 0.95 5 inches (24.26 mm)

Thickness: 1.75 mm

Composition: Cupronickel clad (8.33 percent nickel; balance copper)

Edges: Reeded