In less than a week, the United States Mint and National Park Service will officially introduce the quarter celebrating Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This year’s first quarter ceremony takes place near the national site on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
As usual, there are related events supporting the release — a U.S. Mint-hosted coin forum starting the evening before the ceremony and a coin exchange right after the ceremony. Both are free and open to the public.
Pictured Rocks quarters begin their entrance into general circulation on Monday, Feb. 5, but it can take months, sometimes years, before they appear regularly in common transactions since the Federal Reserve Banks distribute coins to financial institutions without regard to their designs. The quarter ceremony offers an early opportunity to get this first of five 2018-dated quarters. The U.S. Mint offers another by selling them in rolls and bags.
Pictured Rocks Quarter Launch Ceremony – Time and Location
Quarter ceremonies are unique events for locals, coin collectors, and children. They usually last about 30 minutes, as local entertainers perform and officials from the U.S. Mint and National Park Service provide background information about the quarter and site. Expected dignitaries at the event include:
- Marc Landry, Acting Associate Director, Numismatic and Bullion Directorate, United States Mint
- Paul Balan, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore quarter designer, United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program
- Timothy Williams, Deputy Director, External Affairs at the Department of the Interior, for Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke
- Jay Gage, Regional Manager, Upper Peninsula Northern Michigan, for Senator Debbie Stabenow
- Katelyn Rader, Upper Peninsula Regional Coordinator, for Senator Gary Peters
- David Horne, Superintendent, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- Katherine Reynolds, Executive Director, Greater Munising Bay Partnership, Alger County Chamber of Commerce and the Munising Downtown Development Authority
Event highlights include a performance by the Munising High School Concert Choir and a ceremonial coin pour. As mentioned earlier, Paul Balan, designer of the Pictured Rocks quarter, will also be there.
In addition, children age 18 and younger will receive one free new quarter to commemorate the event.
The quarter ceremony’s location details follow:
Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Time: 10 a.m. (EST)
Location:
Mather Elementary School Auditorium
411 Elm Avenue
Munising, MI 49862
The following map shows the site’s location:
Coin Exchange
The coin exchange begins immediately after the ceremony. Anyone attending the ceremony can stand in line to trade cash for $10 rolls of the new quarters. There is a one-roll ($10) minimum and a 10-roll ($100) maximum.
Coin Forum Evening Prior to Quarter Ceremony
A coin collector forum hosted by the United States Mint will take place on the evening before the ceremony. This forum gives people a chance to learn more about the U.S. Mint and to ask questions about its products. Coin forums tend to last about an hour.
Here are the coin forum’s time and location details:
Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Location:
Munising Township Office
E9630 Prospect Street
Wetmore, MI 49895
The following map shows the township’s office location:
U.S. Mint-Branded Rolls and Bags of Quarters
On Monday, Feb. 5, starting at noon ET, the U.S. Mint will begin selling Pictured Rocks quarters to the public. Product options include 40-coin rolls, 2-roll sets, 3-roll sets, and 100-coin bags at prices ranging from $18.95 to $46.95. They will be available for order online at catalog.usmint.gov. These product releases will also be covered here on CoinNews.
2018 Quarters and Collector Products
The U.S. Mint’s series of America the Beautiful Quarters® debuted in 2010 and will last until 2021. Every year five unique designs appear and feature a national park or other national site within the United States or its territories.
The four later 2018 quarters celebrate Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia, and Block Island National Wildlife Refuge in Rhode Island.
Earlier this year, on Jan. 23, the U.S. Mint released collector proof versions of all five 2018 quarters for $15.95. These coins feature frosted designs and mirror-like backgrounds. Proof editions in silver launch on Feb. 22 for $33.95. As always, stay tuned to CoinNews for information about these and other coin releases.