Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state situated on the broad plains of the south-central United States. Its nickname is “The Sooner State,” and it is said to originate from the people who, when this land was opened for settlement long ago, rushed in sooner than the appointed time to claim good spots. To that extent, it is a place imbued with the spirit of new beginnings and pioneering.

The reverse of the coin shows a scissor-tailed flycatcher in flight, with an Indian blanket wildflower drawn in the background behind it. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is the state bird, and the Indian blanket is the state wildflower.

The scissor-tailed flycatcher is a bird striking for its long, forked tail that opens like a pair of scissors, just as its name suggests. Blending with the Indian blanket flower, which looks like a spread-out red blanket, it captures Oklahoma’s wide-open sky and fields in a single scene.

Oklahoma joined the U.S. Union as the 46th state on November 16, 1907. Among the 50 states, it belongs to the so-called “young states” that joined relatively late. It is originally a land with a history deeply intertwined with the homeland and lives of Native Americans.

This coin, which chose a bird and a flower instead of a grand building or a person, shows the natural beauty just as it is that the state takes pride in. With a single coin, you can imagine Oklahoma’s broad sky and fields.