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Those eager to hold a bit of Alaska in the palm of their hands might want to head to the bank. Alaska quarters have arrived and many banks are doling them out to those who ask for them.

"The phones were ringing off the hook constantly for the last two weeks," said Mercy Medley-Graham, service manager for the Kenai Wells Fargo branch. "If (people) aren't doing banking transactions, they're just coming in for the quarters."

Medley-Graham expects traffic in the bank to increase when people come in to access their permanent fund dividend checks and get quarters. There currently is a one-roll limit of quarters per customer and the branch is almost out, but people are still coming in.

"The phone keeps ringing for them," she said, adding the Kenai branch will try to order more quarters today. "Most people know we have them, and they're just coming in."

The Soldotna Wells Fargo has a two-roll limit for customers, said Kathy Gensel at the branch.

Wells Fargo branches began receiving their first shipment of quarters Wednesday.

The Alaska quarter went into circulation Aug. 25, said Carol Coolman, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Mint. The Mint launched the coin at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer on Aug. 29 where people stood in line before the event to exchange $10 bills for their own roll of mint-condition quarters. Kids under 18 received a free quarter, and the event drew Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell and U.S. Mint Deputy Director Andrew Brunhart.

On the back of the quarter a grizzly bear clutches a salmon in its jaws underneath the north star with "The Great Land" engraved on the bear's right and "Alaska 1959" inscribed above it. The quarter celebrates Alaska's wildlife and natural beauty, Coolman said.

"These coins are beautiful," she said, adding that free lesson-plan materials for teachers, parents and kids can be found online at usmint.gov.

"They really have taught a generation of Americans about the geography, history and culture of each state."

The Alaska quarter is the second-to-last quarter rounding out the Mint's nine-year 50 State Quarters program. The program began with Delaware in 1999 and will end with Hawaii in November. About 500 million were minted, Coolman said. About 147 million people collect state quarters, she said, estimating that's about one person in every household.

Before the coin's launch, folks had a chance to view the quarters and ask Brunhart questions. Questions ranged from basic information about the program and the design to specific questions made by coin collectors.

"They asked about the design, how many submissions did the state of Alaska have, why did they pick that one," Coolman said.

The Mint leaves design selections up to the state, Coolman said. Sometimes the process is based on Web-based input. Some states are more active than others, she said.

Alaskans submitted 850 design ideas to the Alaska Commemorative Coin Commission, which chose four for submission to the Mint. Coolman said the four candidates were forwarded to Gov. Sarah Palin in 2007 for her final decision following a statewide comment period.

Once the state quarter program continues, Coolman said the Mint will follow with quarters commemorating Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in 2009. There also is legislation in Congress right now for quarters commemorating U.S. national parks, she said.

First National Bank received its shipment of quarters Friday and shipped them to its 30 branches statewide, said Alan Dablemont, vice president of deposit services. The number of quarters that went to each branch was based on the number of previous state quarters it received, but bank headquarters also asked each branch how much they thought they would need.

"We wanted to have some available for the public and our customers," he said, "but we did not bring in tons of it trying to supply every collector that wants a whole bunch."

While Wells Fargo can order more quarters if it runs out, Dablemont said once First National Bank runs out that's it. Collectors can order quarters from the Mint, he said, but most branches have people getting two rolls and that's it.

"Basically we get a one-time shot that we can order for each state (quarter)," he said. "What we get is what we get, and when they're gone, they're gone."

Jessica Cejnar can be reached at jessica.cejnar@peninsulaclarion.com.