New US Mint Quarters Feature National Parks and Sites
The United States Mint will launch a brand new series of collectible quarter dollar coins in 2010. They have called the program America the Beautiful Quarters. The series will include 56 different reverse design featuring federally designated parks and sites from each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and each United States Territory.
The new quarter series follows the success of the 50 State Quarters Program. This series of fifty different quarters ran from 1999 to 2008 and allowed Americans learn about the history and diversity of the different states simply by examining their pocket change. A one year program featuring the United States Territories and District of Columbia followed in the year 2009.
While the America the Beautiful Quarters Program will be similar to the other programs, it will have a unique focus and introduce an accompanying bullion program. The new program will feature 56 different coins, with unique depictions on the “tails side” of the coin. The “heads side” will feature a restored portrait of George Washington. Quarters will also be released at a rate of five per year, but with a single design in the final year. The new coins will be released into circulation, making potential collectors out of anyone who receives them.
What makes the new series distinctive will be the shift in focus towards National Parks and Sites. The legislation which created the program specified that this may include any area under the management or conservancy of the National Park Service (NPS), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW), or the United States Forest Service (USFS). This broad definition opens eligibility to hundreds of federally designated sites around the country and throughout the territories.
To accompany the quarter series, a new program of silver bullion coins will also be introduced. The coins will be over sized replicas of each quarter, weighing five ounces and struck in .999 fine silver. These coins will be issued on the same annual schedule as the quarters and are expected to be available throughout the year when the corresponding quarter is issued.
The United States Mint has already established the order of release for the entire 56 quarter program. The America the Beautiful Quarters will issue the different designs in the order the sites were federally designated. The first year of release will include Hot Springs National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, the Grand Canyon, and Mount Hood National Forest.
Find detailed information about the upcoming America the Beautiful Quarters Program. View the America the Beautiful Quarters Release Dates.
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