Description:
The Guam quarter-dollar is the 3rd coin released in the 2009 District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Quarters Program. Each 2-roll set consists of 80 quarters: 1 roll of 40 coins with the “P” mint mark for Philadelphia and 1 roll of 40 coins with the “D” mint mark for Denver.

Initial Western contact with Guam occurred when explorer Ferdinand Magellan reached the southernmost Mariana Islands in 1521. From 1668 to 1815, it served as a way station for Spanish Acapulco-to-Manilla ships. Spanish rule of Guam came to an end when American forces secured the island during the Spanish-American War. During World War II, the Japanese seized Guam and occupied it for more than 2 years, with American forces recapturing it in 1944. Under the Organic Act of 1950, the people of Guam became American citizens and established a local government, with administrative responsibility assumed by the Secretary of the Interior.

The Guam quarter reverse depicts the outline of the island, a latte stone used as an architectural element at the base of homes and a flying proa, or seagoing craft, built by the Chamorro people. It also features the inscriptions GUAM and Guahan I Tanó ManChamorro, which mean “Guam – Land of the Chamorro,” while the obverse continues to feature the familiar image of President George Washington.