Hawaii State Quarter Design: King Kamehameha I & Traditional Canoe

2008 Hawaii Quarter (50 State Quarters Program)

Obverse (Front)

• Standard George Washington portrait
• Inscriptions: "United States of America", "Liberty", "In God We Trust", "Quarter Dollar"

Reverse (Back) – Hawaii-Specific Design

• Central image: King Kamehameha I statue extending hand in aloha gesture
• Background: Traditional Hawaiian sailing canoe (wa'a) with Diamond Head crater
• Inscriptions: "Hawaii", "E Pluribus Unum", "1778" (Captain Cook's arrival), "2008"
• Designer initials: "HH" (Don Everhart? Actually, the initials are for the engraver—Don Everhart's initials are DE; "HH" might be a mint mark error in the source. The Hawaii quarter has no special initials beyond standard mint marks.)

Significance

Honors Hawaii's unification under Kamehameha I (1810) and its Polynesian voyaging heritage. The canoe represents exploration and connection; Diamond Head symbolizes O'ahu's iconic landscape.