Governor Ferguson chooses Jimi Hendrix for Washington’s U.S. Mint Innovation Coin

Program honors innovation from each state, D.C. and U.S. territories with $1 coins

OLYMPIA - Governor Bob Ferguson today announced he has chosen Jimi Hendrix as Washington's submission to the U.S. Mint American Innovation $1 Coin Program.

The program, first launched by the Mint in 2019, honors innovation and innovators from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories by issuing four new $1 coins every year through 2032. Washington state is set for a 2029 release.

Governor Ferguson designated Washington Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti as the state's official liaison to the U.S. Mint. Pellicciotti assembled an Innovation Coin Advisory Committee of state leaders in history and innovation to review public submissions, generate additional ideas, collaborate on concepts and formalize the state's submission to the Mint. The committee unanimously approved five finalists for Governor Ferguson to choose from.

"Washington is one of the most innovative states in the nation," Governor Ferguson said. "The finalists were all strong examples of this. The Innovation Coin program is a unique opportunity to honor our history and share Washington's story. Picking just one example from the most innovative state in the nation was difficult, but Jimi Hendrix's historic innovation on guitar and his deep roots in Washington make him a great choice to represent our state."

Born in Seattle in 1947, Jimi Hendrix revolutionized electric guitar. He attended Horace Mann Elementary School, Washington Junior High and Garfield High School. His first musical gig was in Seattle. Hendrix was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 along with his band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

In 2023, Rolling Stone named Hendrix the greatest guitarist of all time, calling him "a true master of the instrument." Hendrix was listed above iconic guitarists like Chuck Berry, Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Carlos Santana and others.

"Everyone was using tiny brushes and doing watercolors, while Jimi Hendrix was painting galactic scenes in Cinemascope," Santana is credited with saying.

In its summary of his relatively short performing career before he died in 1970, Rolling Stone focused on his innovation and influence on music and culture.

"He popularized the use of feedback, invented his own fusion of blues and psychedelia, and influenced the development of rock, metal, funk, and much more," Rolling Stone noted. "In an era when music was still largely racially segregated, the emergence of Hendrix - a Black artist who left white crowds gaping in awe - was a seismic event that obliterated cultural barriers."

In addition to Hendrix, the finalists for Washington's coin were:

• Billy Frank Jr. and Treaty Rights Innovation
• Indigenous Ecosystem Management and Reef-net Fishing Innovation
• Bruce Lee and Martial Arts Innovation
• Medic One and Medic Two, and Paramedic Innovation

The next phase will include design development, consultation with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and public review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. The final design selection will be made by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.