Music flows in this quarter's design.  The state of Louisiana—especially New Orleans—is where jazz was born, a type of music that's enjoyed all over the world.  Below the sounding trumpet is a pelican, the state bird.  In the background is an outline of the Louisiana Purchase and its place in the United States.

Fifteen million dollars sounds like a lot of money, but the Louisiana Territory was such a big piece of land that it about doubled the size of the United States in 1803.  The Purchase has been called "the greatest real estate deal in history."

Most of the ideas for the coin's design came from school children.  State Governor Mike Foster picked the final "Louisiana Purchase" design from the five that the Mint developed.