<P> The 50 State Quarters Program (Pub. L. 105--124, 111 Stat. 2534, enacted December 1, 1997) was the release of a series of circulating commemorative coins by the United States Mint . From 1999 through 2008, it featured each of the 50 U.S. states on unique designs for the reverse of the quarter . </P> <P> The 50 State Quarters Program was started to support a new generation of coin collectors, and it became the most successful numismatic program in history, with roughly half of the U.S. population collecting the coins, either in a casual manner or as a serious pursuit . The U.S. federal government so far has made additional profits of $3.0 billion from collectors taking the coins out of circulation . </P>

When did they start putting states on quarters