US Mint Video Describing New Quarters
The United States Mint today announced the design themes for the next 56 US quarters and the massive commemorative silver bullion coins that will be issued between 2010 to 2021.
It also formerly introduced the name of the new series, calling it the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program. (Coin collectors will note the name excludes the words "parks" or "sites," as the upcoming series had most often been described till today.)
"These new quarters will honor some of our most revered, treasured and beautiful national sites — majestic and historic places located throughout the United States and its territories that truly make us ‘America the Beautiful,’" said US Mint Director Ed Moy.
During the next 11 years and at a rate of 5 per year, the reverse or tails side of each quarter will feature a design emblematic of a national park or site in each state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.
The five America the Beautiful Quarters for release in 2010 will honor the following national sites:
- Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas,
- Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming,
- Yosemite National Park in California,
- Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and
- Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon.
Yellowstone is America’s first national park having been established in 1872. However, it will be featured second in somewhat of a surprise. Hot Springs National Park earns the honor of having received a reserve designation in 1832 — it became a national park in 1922.
Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner approved the site list recommended by the US Mint on August 25, 2009
The obverse or heads side of each quarter will bear a restored version of the historic George Washington portrait which was first featured on the quarter-dollar in 1932. William Cousins modified that design slightly and his work has been seen on quarters since the 1999 launch of the 50 State Quarters® Program. The new portrait is to include, according to a US Mint statement, "subtle details and the beauty of the original model."
The US Mint has already added the quarter-dollars to its subscription service. Customers can pre-order rolls, bags and other products with the coins now, and they will be delivered when they are released by the Mint.
America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins
In addition to the new quarters, .999 fine silver bullion coins will be issued with designs that are "exact duplicates of the quarter dollars."
They will be especially unique, with their massive 3 inches in diameters. Each will weigh 5 ounces, with the fineness and weight edge-incused.
These will be amazing in size, as they will quite easily dwarf current US bullion coinage — as a comparison, the popular American Eagle silver coin is an already large 1.598 inches and includes a full ounce of silver.
America the Beautiful Quarters Release Schedule
The following release schedule provides a list for the quarters by year, location, name and the established national park or national site year.
2010
Arkansas, Hot Springs National Park, 1832
Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park, 1872
California, Yosemite National Park, 1890
Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park, 1893
Oregon, Mt. Hood National Forest, 1893
2011
Pennsylvania, Gettysburg National Military Park, 1895
Montana, Glacier National Park, 1897
Washington, Olympic National Park, 1897
Mississippi, Vicksburg National Military Park, 1899
Oklahoma, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, 1902
2012
Puerto Rico, El Yunque National Forest, 1903
New Mexico, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, 1907
Maine, Acadia National Park, 1916
Hawaii, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, 1916
Alaska, Denali National Park, 1917
2013
New Hampshire, White Mountain National Forest, 1918
Ohio, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, 1919
Nevada, Great Basin National Park, 1922
Maryland, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, 1925
South Dakota, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 1925
2014
Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 1926
Virginia, Shenandoah National Park, 1926
Utah, Arches National Park, 1929
Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park, 1932
Florida, Everglades National Park, 1934
2015
Nebraska, Homestead National Monument of America, 1936
Louisiana, Kisatchie National Forest, 1936
North Carolina, Blue Ridge Parkway, 1936
Delaware, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, 1937
New York, Saratoga National Historical Park, 1938
2016
Illinois, Shawnee National Forest, 1939
Kentucky, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, 1940
West Virginia, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, 1944
North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, 1946
South Carolina, Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument), 1948
2017
Iowa, Effigy Mounds National Monument, 1949
District of Columbia, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, 1962
Missouri, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, 1964
New Jersey, Ellis Island National Monument (Statue of Liberty), 1965
Indiana, George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, 1966
2018
Michigan, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 1966
Wisconsin, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, 1970
Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park, 1971
Georgia, Cumberland Island National Seashore, 1972
Rhode Island, Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, 1973
2019
Massachusetts, Lowell National Historical Park, 1978
Northern Mariana Islands, American Memorial Park, 1978
Guam, War in the Pacific National Historical Park, 1978
Texas, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, 1978
Idaho, Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, 1980
2020
American Samoa, National Park of American Samoa, 1988
Connecticut, Weir Farm National Historic Site, 1990
U.S. Virgin Islands, Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, 1992
Vermont, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, 1992
Kansas, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, 1996
2021
Alabama, Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, 1998
For more information on the America the Beautiful coins, read America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act. The embedded video also provides an excellent overview of the new program.