Five of these unique coins were released over the course of each year, every one representing a different state. The order of their release was determined by when that state became an official part of the USA, either by ratifying the Constitution or being accepted into the Union. The obverse of the coins features the standard imagery of 25-cent pieces – a profile portrait of George Washington – but the reverse features an array of images and symbols representing the history and culture of that particular state. The reverse also features the year that the coin was cast and the year of the state’s official founding.

New Hampshire became a state on June 21st, 1788, and was the ninth of the 50 State Quarters to be issued. The primary image on the coin is known as "The Old Man of the Mountain", a natural rock formation that resembled a man's face in profile and an icon of the state until it collapsed in 2003. The nine stars represent New Hampshire's position as the 9th state to join the Union, and "Live Free of Die" is the state's official motto.