Preorders for the Idaho Goldback Series Are Now Open!
Starting today, you can officially preorder the Idaho Goldback series! Find a participating seller below and secure yours ahead of the official launch.
See the Full Series Video
Get a look at the complete Idaho series by watching our reveal video!
The Symbolism in the Artwork
Each denomination in the Idaho Goldback series explores an important piece of the state’s history. Keep reading to discover every symbol, Easter egg, and story.
Idaho 1/4 Goldback
The Idaho 1/4 Goldback was the first quarter denomination ever designed. At its forefront stands the virtue Justitia, or Justice. She carries raised scales, a lowered sword, and a blindfold to demonstrate truth, restraint, and impartial judgement.
The elk and cornucopia from Idaho’s state seal appear on her belt. A syringa (the state flower) is woven into her hair, and a monarch butterfly (the state insect) flies beside her.
Hells Canyon stretches behind her, reminding us that fairness is forged in demanding environments. Written along the bottom is the enduring principle: “Judge righteously.”
Idaho 1/2 Goldback
The artwork on the Idaho 1/2 Goldback honors Sacagawea, an Agaidika Shoshone woman born near Lemhi Pass in what is now Idaho. She is depicted as the virtue Pietas, or Devotion.
In 1805, Sacagawea traveled with the Lewis and Clark expedition to Lemhi Pass, serving as an interpreter and guide. Along the way, she carried her infant son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Their route followed the Lolo Trail, which was a demanding path known to Indigenous peoples. In the artwork, the words “Lolo Trail” and the year 1805 are carved into rocks.
She wears a traditional Shoshone dress, beaded belt, and tool bag. In the background, an Appaloosa mare and her foal stand together, mirroring Sacagawea’s devotion to her child. The Bitterroot Mountains rise in the background as Lolo Creek winds through the valley. Idaho’s state symbols surround the scene: white pine, huckleberries, and mountain bluebirds.
Through her piety, Sacagawea helped guide one of the most important expeditions in American history. Her legacy is rooted in Idaho’s land, its trails, and the enduring values that still define the state today.
Inscribed along the bottom is the quotation: “Everything I do is for my people.”
Idaho 1 Goldback
The Idaho 1 Goldback depicts the virtue Fides, or faith and trust, through the experience of pioneer families traveling the California Trail. The scene shows a mother guiding her child across the open ground. The granite spires of the City of Rocks stand in the background, which guided emigrants on the California Trail. Behind the mother and child, a covered wagon pulls a group across the trail. Native wildlife surrounds them: a sagebrush lizard, a pronghorn, and a great horned owl.
The woman holds a small Bible as a symbol of personal faith. Written on this denomination is a scripture lived by those who settled the region: “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
Idaho 2 Goldback
The Idaho 2 Goldback honors the virtue Civitas, or Community, through Boise’s Basque community. In the center, a Basque woman performs a traditional hoop dance called “Uztai Txiki (Arco Dantza).” Beneath her feet is the Boise Basque cross, the locally recognized lauburu design.
The Boise Mountains and sheep reference the daily labor of Basque immigrants who worked as sheep herders across Idaho’s open ranges. The Idaho State Capitol and the Basque Museum and Cultural Center also appear in the background.
Boise is now home to one of the largest Basque communities in the United States. Reviewed with input from representatives of the Idaho Basque Museum, this design reflects a Basque principle that fits Idaho well: “Denon artean egina, erraz egina.” What is done together is done easily.
Idaho 5 Goldback
The Idaho 5 Goldback honors the virtue Clementia, meaning mercy, gentleness, or stewardship. The artwork shows a moment of quiet renewal set in the Wallace Mountains after the Great Fire of 1910. Clementia kneels on scorched ground, replanting young saplings where the forest once stood. A small fawn stands beside her, and an empty patera rests near her hand as a symbol of mercy.
This design reflects how Idaho responded to the Great Fire. Replanting, rebuilding, and learning to steward the land more wisely.
Clementia embodies that renewal, honoring Idaho’s resilience and legacy. The enduring principle written along the bottom comes from Isaiah 61:3: “Beauty for ashes.”
Idaho 10 Goldback
The Idaho 10 Goldback honors the virtue Perseverantia, or perseverance, through the history of Silver City, one of Idaho’s most important mining communities. The scene takes place at the Owyhee Mountains during the height of the silver rush in the early 1860s. The miner in the artwork rests beside a cart filled with raw silver ore. Behind her is the Idaho Hotel and the Masonic Lodge. Eventually, silver production declined and the town was abandoned, but Silver City is still preserved today.
The artwork also acknowledges how Idaho earned the nickname the “Gem State.”
Idaho is one of the few places in the world where star garnet, that state’s official gemstone, is naturally found. The state has also produced sapphire, opal, jasper, aquamarine, topaz, and quartz. These stones are subtly worked into the composition.
Perseverantia reflects the men and women who stayed, worked, and built in difficult conditions. They shaped Idaho’s identity with their grit and determination. Along the bottom is a passage from James 1:12: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial.”
Idaho 25 Goldback
The Idaho 25 Goldback depicts one of the most important scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century through the virtue Scientia, or knowledge and understanding. On December 20, 1951, Experimental Breeder Reactor I in Arco, Idaho became the first power plant in the world to generate electricity with nuclear energy, lighting four bulbs.
The female scientist in the artwork references Idaho’s contributions to science and engineering, including women working at the highest levels of research. The equations on the board behind her were critical to this moment in history.
Written on the note is a quote from Idaho native Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television: “There’s nothing worth knowing that isn’t difficult.”
Idaho 50 Goldback
The Idaho 50 Goldback presents the virtue Patientia, patience, through Idaho’s long-standing relationship with its land and waters. Set at Redfish Lake, the artwork depicts a woman fly fishing in cold, clear mountain water. The Sawtooth Mountains rise sharply in the background. Cutthroat trout, Idaho’s state fish, swim beneath the surface of the lake. An osprey circles above while a moose stands quietly in the shallows behind the angler. This scene is realistic to central Idaho, where people and wildlife often share the same spaces.
Written into the scene is the scripture “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently.”
Idaho 100 Goldback
This artwork presents Libertas as the capstone virtue of the Idaho Goldback series, a role Liberty holds on every 100 Goldback. Set at Shoshone Falls in the Magic Valley, Libertas carries a shovel as a symbol of work, ingenuity, and responsibility.
In the background, Shoshone Falls—often called the “Niagara of the West”—cascades into the Snake River. A crop duster passes overhead and cultivated fields stretch into the distance, representing Idaho’s continued leadership in agriculture. At Libertas’s feet, a cornucopia overflows with potatoes, sugar beets, wheat, and onions.
Potato blossoms and syringa, Idaho’s official state flower, appear throughout the scene. A soaring eagle above reinforces the idea of independence. Together, these elements present Liberty through the lens of Idaho: freedom that’s earned through hard work and tied directly to the land.
Written on the design is the enduring scripture, “A blessing upon all that thou settest thine hand unto.”
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