Arches National Park Quarter Launch Ceremony Highlights

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Arches National Park Quarters were ceremoniously introduced on Friday, June 6, three days before they launched into circulation and went on sale in United States Mint roll and bag products.

Arches National Park - Quarters Backdrop
The park’s unique landscape served as a dramatic backdrop for the event. On stage, left to right: Kate Cannon, Arches park superintendent; Dave Sakrison, mayor of Moab and master of ceremonies for the event; Mint Deputy Director Dick Peterson, and at the podium, Spencer J. Cox, lieutenant governor of Utah. United States Mint photo by Sharon McPike.

Co-hosted by the National Park Service and U.S. Mint, the launch ceremony drew an estimated crowd of 400 people, including 40 school-aged children, and the coin exchange that followed saw about $20,000 in quarters swapped for cash. In addition, roughly four dozen collectors and coin enthusiasts attended a U.S. Mint coin forum held on the evening prior to the ceremony.

Arches National Park Quarter Exchange
Some of the $20,000 of the America the Beautiful Quarter honoring Arches National Park exchanged at the June 6 launch in Moab, Utah. United States Mint photo by Sharon McPike.

Friday’s event took place at Arches National Park Visitor Center. Speakers included Utah Lieutenant Governor Spencer J. Cox, Arches National Park Superintendent Kate Cannon, and United States Mint Deputy Director Richard A. Peterson. Moab’s Mayor Dave Sakrison served as master of ceremonies.

Spencer J. Cox and Dick Peterson
Spencer J. Cox, lieutenant governor of Utah, with Deputy Director Dick Peterson at the June 6 launch of the America the Beautiful Quarter honoring Arches National Park in Moab, Utah. United States Mint photo by Sharon McPike.

Kate Cannon and Dick Peterson
Kate Cannon, Arches park superintendent, and Mint Deputy Director Dick Peterson. United States Mint photo by Sharon McPike.

When launch ceremonies officially introduce new quarters, they offer historic background on the national sites their designs commemorate, in a setting that befits the celebration of their release.

Arches National Park Quarter
The reverse or tails side of the Arches National Park Quarter

Found on the reverse of Arches National Park Quarters is Donna Weaver’s depiction of Delicate Arch with the La Sal Mountains in the background.

"Having lived in Utah, I know from first-hand experience that Delicate Arch in Arches National Park is one of the Earth’s very special geologic wonders and why it was chosen as the design for Utah’s America the Beautiful Quarter," said U.S. Mint Deputy Director Peterson during the launch ceremony.

The coin is the 23rd overall in the America the Beautiful Quarters series that debuted in 2010. The U.S. Mint program is scheduled to last until at least 2021 and offer five different designs a year that honor national sites throughout the U.S. and its territories. Released earlier this year was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Quarter for Tennessee and the Shenandoah National Park Quarter for Virginia. Upcoming 2014 park quarters include designs celebrating Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado and Everglades National Park in Florida.

US Mint Coin Forum, Arches
Mint Deputy Director Dick Peterson talks to collectors at the coin forum the evening before the launch ceremony. United States Mint photo by Sharon McPike.

On Thursday, June 12, the U.S. Mint at www.usmint.gov/catalog will offer a special 5 ounce version of the Arches quarter that is struck in 99.9% pure silver and has a diameter of 3 inches. Stay tuned to CoinNews.net for information about its release.

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