2007-S Idaho Proof

Idaho took a different approach from its 2007 release-year siblings, choosing a peregrine falcon as primary subject and rendering the state's geographic outline behind it. Don Everhart's reverse places the bird in profile, head turned, with the unmistakable hooked beak and dark cap that distinguish peregrines from other raptors, perched as if mid-survey. The state outline frames the composition, and the motto "Esto Perpetua", let it be perpetual, runs along the lower curve in Latin script. In proof format, the falcon's plumage reads as layered cameo with individually visible breast bars and primaries, set against fields polished to liquid blackness. Peregrines nearly vanished from the lower 48 during the DDT decades, and Idaho's selection nodded both to the state's conservation record and to the Peregrine Fund's Boise headquarters. The choice surprised collectors expecting potatoes or rivers; the proof presentation made the case for the bird.

San Francisco produced 2,374,778 clad proofs of the Idaho issue across the 2007 Proof Set and 50 State Quarters Proof Set distributions. Distinguishing a genuine proof from a prooflike business strike rewards methodical inspection. Tilt the coin under angled light: a true proof returns watery, hall-of-mirrors reflectivity across the open fields, the product of polished dies meeting polished planchets under elevated tonnage, while a prooflike circulation piece shows radial flow lines running outward from the center. The rims should appear squared and sharp from close-collar striking, not the softly rounded profile typical of business strike production. Under a 10x loupe, die-polish lines run in consistent parallel directions across the fields, while cleaning hairlines from improper handling scatter chaotically. Specifications confirm cupronickel-clad construction at 5.67 grams and 24.3 millimeters, with the copper core visible as a thin reddish stripe on the edge. PCGS and NGC Cameo and Deep Cameo designations carry significant premiums, particularly where the falcon's frost remains untouched.

To follow how Idaho's release fit the 2007 quintet and where peregrine falcons rank among the State Quarters program's wildlife subjects, see the 50 State Quarters series history.