Treasure Hunt by Peter Rexford

There's something beyond enchanting about islands in the Pacific. Maybe it's because of the Broadway musical and movie "South Pacific" and its haunting song "Bali Hai." Or, it could be the imagination of those dreaming of endless white beaches, exotic birds and buried treasure. From books and movies it would seem those and more would be found on virtually every island.

My personal experience in the region is limited to Hawaii and Australia, which truly are magical in their own way. I've never been to Guam and don't know many who have. Some who have been don't have much good to say about it because their visit during World War II was anything but a vacation. That aside, there's little doubt it's now every bit as enticing as other tropical destinations.

Most people probably have no clue about Guam's affiliation with the United States. The island became a territory of the United States after the Spanish-American war and has long been a primary strategic military base because of its close proximity to Asia. The official motto of Guam, "Where America's Day Begins," is the most telling regarding its location. It's over the International Date Line, so it's already tomorrow there and, insofar as any U.S. territory, it's the first to see the sunrise.

The total population of Guam is only 152,000 — roughly the same as a mid-sized U.S. town. Even so, 90 million coins commemorating the territory are about to be issued by the U.S. Mint. If released only in Guam, that would equate to almost 600 coins for every man, woman and child.

The coins are the latest augmented coins in the 50 State Quarters Series being released in 2009. After all 50 states had quarters created for them over the past decade, this year, additional quarters were issued for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Soon, three more quarters will be minted commemorating American Samoa, the U.S.

Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.

You'd think showcasing a beautiful sandy beach would make sense on the coin. But, that's not possible for the simple reason that, although there are beaches aplenty on Guam, none contain any sand. The granules on their beaches are actually tiny pieces of crushed coral.

Any portion of Guam's long history could have been featured, including its discovery by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. Two aspects would clearly not be suitable. One is the Japanese occupation of the island from 1941 to 1944. During that time, thousands of Guamians (true term for a Guam resident) were subjected to forced rule, oppression and death. The other would be the Brown Tree Snake. It's a reptile not native to the island but introduced during the war from cargo ships. For a period, the snakes numbered in the tens of millions — many times that of the human population.

Instead, the new quarter depicts the outline of the island: a "latte" stone, which was used throughout the area as a foundation for homes, and a flying "proa," which is a specially created sailing craft suitable for use on the open sea. The inscription on the coin's reverse includes the words "GUAM" and "Guahan I Tanó ManChamorro," which translates to: "Guam — Land of the Chamorro." "Chamorro" is the term for the original natives of the territory as well as the language spoken other than English.

Because U.S. currency is the standard on Guam, the quarters will certainly augment money in local stores on the island. But, all 90 million of the coins would be a bit much just for the territory, so they will soon be showing up in pocket change here in the States.

For those more eager or less patient about getting some, the U.S. Mint is selling the quarters direct in rolls or bags of 100 or 1,000. For more information or to place an order, collectors can log on to their website at: www.usmint.gov or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the new Guam quarter has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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