Gov. Janet Napolitano hands out the first Arizona quarters Monday at the State Capitol.  (Capitol Media Services)
   Today’s official ceremony to release the Arizona quarter to the public was quite a hit, as more than 2,000 proud state residents turned out at the Capitol to exchange $10 for rolls of the newly minted coins and commemorative folios.
   At least 300 people stood in line for an hour or more for their chance to be among the first to collect the quarters minted earlier this month in Denver and Philadelphia as of part of the federal government’s 50-state program.
   A trio of retired teachers from Phoenix were at the head of the line: Mary Ann Yee, her sister Kay Gin and Jeanne Osborn.
   “We’re very patriotic,” said Yee, wearing a shirt draped in the colors of the American flag. “If it weren’t for our immigrant parents we wouldn’t be here. Any time they commemorate the history of the great state of Arizona, we want to be there.”
   Yee and Gin had a special connection to the quarter ceremony as their cousin Kimberly Yee works for State Treasurer Dean Martin. In turn, Martin took part in the ceremony by riding on top of an original Wells Fargo stagecoach to the state Capitol. Pulled by four white horses, the stagecoach delivered a faded green strongbox that carried some of the first Arizona quarters that rolled off the presses from the U.S. Mint.
   Gov. Janet Napolitano, who picked the Arizona design, clearly had a great time today. After reading a proclamation, she was mobbed by dozens of children who were handed one free coin each. The crowd around Napolitano had barely died down after about 20 minutes and her staff had to drag her away.
   Meanwhile, the line for adults swelled to well over a thousand people immediately after the ceremony. The demand was so high that Tribune photographer Paul O’Neill said someone “lifted” a quarter that had been taped to his media information kit.
   Some people who came to be part of the fun had decided not to risk the waiting line. State historian Marshall Trimble said he already had ordered a collection of quarters directly from the U.S. Mint.
   “I just hope they arrive,” Trimble said.
   As the official bank of the State Quarter Commission, Wells Fargo also gets an exclusive shot at handing out quarters for a few days. The bank near my office in Mesa said it would have quarters available for exchange on Tuesday. But a news release from Napolitano’s office said some banks could have the quarters available this afternoon.

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