U.S. Mint design candidates present wide-ranging scenes for reverses of 2015 America the Beautiful Quarters and related five ounce silver coins.
Artists created several designs candidates for each. Once reviewed and fine-tuned, the U.S. Mint will make recommendations to the Secretary of the Treasury who is tasked with selecting one design per quarter.
Reverse designs for the 2015 America the Beautiful Quarters and companion 2015 America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Coins are emblematic of these five national sites:
- Homestead National Monument of America in Nebraska
- Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana
- Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina
- Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware
- Saratoga National Historical Park in New York
In all, artists crafted 44 designs. Each one will compete through a design selection process until the final five are chosen.
Images of the Design Candidates for 2015 ATB Quarters and 5 Oz Silver Coins
Below are line art images of the candidate designs, plus a brief summary about each as provided by the United States Mint. Each of the designs may be enlarged by clicking on its image.
Homestead National Monument of America (Nebraska)
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Design 1 depicts a homesteading family working a variety of chores required to build and maintain a life on their "free land."
Design 2 represents three fundamentals to survival common to all homesteaders: food, shelter and water. The 30 stars symbolize the 30 states that participated in the Homestead Act.
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Designs 3 through 6 depict variations of a homesteader working the land, including one design featuring the plow itself and two others with the inscription, "Free Land."
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Design 7 shows a homesteader with his team of horses plowing the field.
Design 8 depicts a homesteader with a team of oxen preparing a field for planting. His cabin, a windmill, and a fence are in the background.
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Design 9 is a close-up of design 8 and features a homesteader plowing his land.
Design 10 depicts two men working together to harvest a successful crop of wheat.
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Design 11 once again shows a homesteader and his team of horses plowing a field.
Design 12 shows a portion of the Homestead Heritage Center, a multipurpose facility that brings the homestead story to life for visitors to the Homestead National Monument.
Kisatchie National Forest (Louisiana)
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Design 1 shows wild turkeys walking in blue stem grass in front of a long leaf pine tree.
Designs 2 through 4 depict endangered red cockaded woodpeckers on long leaf pine.
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Design 5 features a wild turkey in flight over blue stem grass with long leaf pine in the background.
Design 6 shows a red cockaded woodpecker flying over a bayou with cypress trees in the background.
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Design 7 depicts a red cockaded woodpecker in flight against long leaf pine trees.
Design 8 highlights the recreational activities at Kisatchie National Forest, showing a man in a canoe fishing in a bayou with cypress trunks extending from the water.
Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina)
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Design 1 captures the Parkway’s long-views at the Linn Cove Viaduct, one of the most popular spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Design 2 highlights the curves of the Parkway and the distinctive stone walls found along the drive.
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Designs 5 and 6 again depict the Parkway at Linn Cove Viaduct, showcasing the drive’s scenic beauty. Design 6 also features a stone wall and the Virginia and North Carolina state tree and flower in the foreground.
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Design 7 depicts the grace and curvature of the road hugging the side of a mountain and includes the extraordinary stonework that typifies so much of the Parkway’s tunnel facings and bridges. Again, the Virginia and North Carolina state tree and flower are in the foreground.
Design 8 also shows the view near Linn Cove Viaduct with rhododendron in the foreground.
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge (Delaware)
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Design 1 depicts a great blue heron with a fish in its beak.
Design 2 features a great blue heron in the foreground and also includes a pintail duck.
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Design 3 shows an egret in the foreground with great blue herons flying in the background.
Design 4 depicts a great blue heron in flight.
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Design 5 features Canada geese in flight over the salt marsh.
Design 6 depicts a great blue heron in the foreground and an egret in the background.
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Design 7 shows two great blue herons, one in the foreground and one in flight.
Design 8 depicts a great blue heron in flight.
Saratoga National Historical Park in (New York)
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Design 1 features a Revolutionary War cannon in the foreground. A farmhouse, used as one of the American Army’s headquarters during the Battle of Saratoga, is seen in the background.
Design 2 depicts the moment General Burgoyne surrendered his sword to General Gates.
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Design 3 is a close-up of the sword surrender and includes the inscription "Surrender 1777."
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Designs 4 and 5 are representations of John Trumbull’s painting of General Burgoyne’s surrender to General Gates. They feature the inscription, "Oct. 17, 1777."
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Design 6 is another close-up of the sword surrender and includes the inscription, "Oct. 17, 1777."
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Designs 7 and 8 depict additional renditions of General Burgoyne’s surrender to General Gates.
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Design 9 features a Revolutionary War cannon overlooking the Hudson River.
Design 10 also depicts a Revolutionary War cannon and an American flag of 1777.
America the Beautiful Quarters and Coins
The final five selected designs will appear on 2015 America the Beautiful Quarters, the collectible 2015 America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins and investment-grade 2015 America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins. The silver coins are much larger than the quarters, having a three-inch diameter and a composition of five ounces of 99.9% fine silver.
The 2015-dated quarters and coins mark the 26th through 30th designs in their respective series. There will at minimum be 56 designs with five released each year until at least 2021. The series will honor one national park or other national site in each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories.