America the Beautiful quarters
United States | |
| Value | 0.25 U.S. Dollar |
|---|---|
| Mass | 6.25(Ag); 5.67 (Cu-Ni) g |
| Diameter | 24.26 mm (0.955 in) |
| Thickness | 1.75 mm (0.069 in) |
| Edge | 119 reeds |
| Composition | 91.67% Cu 8.33% Ni (standard) 90% Ag 10% Cu (2010–2018 silver proof) 99.9% Ag (2019–2021 silver proof) |
| Years of minting | 2010–2021 |
| Mint marks | P, D, S, W |
| Obverse | |
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| Design | George Washington |
| Designer | John Flanagan from a 1786 bust by Houdon |
| Design date | 2010 |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | various; up to five designs per year (latest design shown) |
| Designer | various |
| Design date | 2010–2021 |
The America the Beautiful quarters (sometimes abbreviated ATB quarters) were a series of fifty-six 25-cent pieces (quarters) issued by the United States Mint, which began in 2010 and lasted until 2021.[1] The obverse (front) of all the coins depicts George Washington in a modified version of the portrait used for the original 1932 Washington quarter.[2] There were five new reverse (back) designs each year (one in 2021), each commemorating a national natural or historic site such as national parks, national historic sites, or national forests – one from each state, the federal district, and each territory. The program was authorized by the America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110–456 (text) (PDF).
Coin designs
[edit]Quarters were issued with reverse designs commemorating national parks and sites in the order of which that park or site was deemed a national site.[3] The quarters from three states depict parks or sites that were previously portrayed on the state quarters (Grand Canyon in Arizona, Yosemite in California, and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota). While they depict the same sites, they bear new designs.[3]
Privy mark
[edit]In 2020, the obverses of the quarters struck at West Point also include a privy mark. The privy design features the text "V75", celebrating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II inside an outline of the Rainbow Pool at the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.[4]
Mint marks
[edit]Over the course of the series, four mint marks were used on the America the Beautiful quarters. Quarters produced at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints feature the P and D mint marks respectively.
In 2010 and 2011, the San Francisco Mint (S mint mark) produced quarters exclusively for the annual Proof Set. In 2012, San Francisco started producing America the Beautiful quarters in the standard circulation finish of the P and D quarters for sale to collectors.[5]
On April 2, 2019, the United States Mint announced that the West Point Mint would release 10,000,000 quarters (2,000,000 of each design released that year) with the "W" mint mark.[6] This was the first time the mint mark appeared on a circulating coin. The quarters were mixed into uncirculated bags and rolls of the quarters to stimulate public interest in coin collecting.
List of designs
[edit]| Year | No. | Jurisdiction | Site | Release date[7] (national site date) |
Design | Elements depicted | Engraver | Mintage[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | Philadelphia | West Point | Total | ||||||||
| 2010 | 1 | Arkansas | Hot Springs National Park | April 19, 2010 (April 20, 1832) |
|
The park headquarters building with a thermal fountain in front of it | Joseph Menna | 34,000,000 | 35,600,000 | — | 69,600,000 |
| 2 | Wyoming | Yellowstone National Park | June 1, 2010 (March 1, 1872) |
|
A bison and Old Faithful | Don Everhart | 34,800,000 | 33,600,000 | — | 68,400,000 | |
| 3 | California | Yosemite National Park | July 26, 2010 (October 1, 1890) |
|
El Capitan | Phebe Hemphill | 35,000,000 | 35,000,000 | — | 70,000,000 | |
| 4 | Arizona | Grand Canyon National Park | September 20, 2010 (February 20, 1893) |
|
Marble Canyon | Phebe Hemphill | 35,400,000 | 34,800,000 | — | 70,200,000 | |
| 5 | Oregon | Mount Hood National Forest | November 15, 2010 (September 28, 1893) |
|
Lost Lake with Mount Hood in the distance | Phebe Hemphill | 34,400,000 | 34,400,000 | — | 68,800,000 | |
| 2011 | 6 | Pennsylvania | Gettysburg National Military Park | January 24, 2011 (February 11, 1895) |
|
The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument | Phebe Hemphill | 30,400,000 | 30,800,000 | — | 61,200,000 |
| 7 | Montana | Glacier National Park | April 4, 2011 (February 22, 1897) |
|
A mountain goat with Reynolds Mountain in the distance | Charles L. Vickers | 31,200,000 | 30,400,000 | — | 61,600,000 | |
| 8 | Washington | Olympic National Park | June 13, 2011 (February 22, 1897) |
|
A Roosevelt elk at the Hoh River with Mount Olympus in the distance | Michael Gaudioso | 30,500,000 | 30,500,000 | — | 61,000,000 | |
| 9 | Mississippi | Vicksburg National Military Park | August 29, 2011 (February 21, 1899) |
|
The USS Cairo on the Yazoo River | Joseph Menna | 33,400,000 | 30,800,000 | — | 64,200,000 | |
| 10 | Oklahoma | Chickasaw National Recreation Area | November 14, 2011 (July 1, 1902) |
|
The Lincoln Bridge | Jim Licaretz | 69,400,000 | 73,800,000 | — | 143,200,000 | |
| 2012 | 11 | Puerto Rico | El Yunque National Forest | January 23, 2012 (January 17, 1903) |
|
A Puerto Rican amazon and a common coquí | Michael Gaudioso | 25,000,000 | 25,800,000 | — | 50,800,000 |
| 12 | New Mexico | Chaco Culture National Historical Park | April 2, 2012 (March 11, 1907) |
|
Two elevated kivas that are part of the Chetro Ketl complex | Phebe Hemphill | 22,000,000 | 22,000,000 | — | 44,000,000 | |
| 13 | Maine | Acadia National Park | June 11, 2012 (July 8, 1916) |
|
The Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse | Joseph Menna | 21,606,000 | 24,800,000 | — | 46,406,000 | |
| 14 | Hawaii | Hawaii Volcanoes National Park | August 27, 2012 (August 1, 1916) |
|
Kīlauea | Charles L. Vickers | 78,600,000 | 46,200,000 | — | 124,800,000 | |
| 15 | Alaska | Denali National Park and Preserve | November 5, 2012 (February 26, 1917) |
|
A Dall sheep with Denali in the background | Jim Licaretz | 166,600,000 | 135,400,000 | — | 302,000,000 | |
| 2013 | 16 | New Hampshire | White Mountain National Forest | January 28, 2013 (May 16, 1918) |
|
Mount Chocorua with birch trees in the foreground | Phebe Hemphill | 107,600,000 | 68,800,000 | — | 176,400,000 |
| 17 | Ohio | Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial | April 1, 2013 (March 3, 1919) |
|
The statue of Oliver Hazard Perry and the International Peace Memorial column | Don Everhart | 55,000,000 | 45,000,000 | — | 100,000,000 | |
| 18 | Nevada | Great Basin National Park | June 10, 2013 (January 24, 1922) |
|
A bristlecone pine | Renata Gordon | 141,400,000 | 122,400,000 | — | 263,800,000 | |
| 19 | Maryland | Fort McHenry National Monument | August 26, 2013 (March 3, 1925) |
|
Fort McHenry under bombardment | Joseph Menna | 151,400,000 | 120,000,000 | — | 271,400,000 | |
| 20 | South Dakota | Mount Rushmore National Memorial | November 4, 2013 (March 3, 1925) |
|
Workers carving the Mount Rushmore National Memorial | Joseph Menna | 272,400,000 | 231,800,000 | — | 504,200,000 | |
| 2014 | 21 | Tennessee | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | January 27, 2014 (May 22, 1926) |
|
A log cabin in the forest with a hawk in flight | Renata Gordon | 99,400,000 | 73,200,000 | — | 172,600,000 |
| 22 | Virginia | Shenandoah National Park | March 31, 2014 (May 22, 1926) |
|
A hiker at the summit of Stony Man Trail | Phebe Hemphill | 197,800,000 | 112,800,000 | — | 310,600,000 | |
| 23 | Utah | Arches National Park | June 9, 2014 (April 12, 1929) |
|
Delicate Arch with the La Sal Mountains in the distance | Charles L. Vickers | 251,400,000 | 214,200,000 | — | 465,600,000 | |
| 24 | Colorado | Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve | August 25, 2014 (March 17, 1932) |
|
A father and son playing on the banks of a creek, with sand dunes and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background | Don Everhart | 171,800,000 | 159,600,000 | — | 331,400,000 | |
| 25 | Florida | Everglades National Park | November 3, 2014 (May 30, 1934) |
|
An anhinga on a willow, and a roseate spoonbill wading in the water | Joseph Menna | 142,400,000 | 157,601,000 | — | 300,001,200 | |
| 2015 | 26 | Nebraska | Homestead National Historical Park | February 9, 2015 (March 19, 1936) |
|
A log cabin, two ears of corn, and a water pump, representing shelter, food, and water | Jim Licaretz | 248,600,000 | 214,400,000 | — | 463,000,000 |
| 27 | Louisiana | Kisatchie National Forest | April 13, 2015 (June 3, 1936) |
|
A wild turkey in flight over bluestem grass, with long leaf pines in the background | Joseph Menna | 379,600,000 | 397,200,000 | — | 776,800,000 | |
| 28 | North Carolina | Blue Ridge Parkway | June 8, 2015 (June 30, 1936) |
|
A short stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, with flowering dogwood in the foreground | Joseph Menna | 505,200,000 | 325,616,000 | — | 830,816,000 | |
| 29 | Delaware | Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge | September 14, 2015 (June 22, 1937) |
|
A great blue heron, with a great egret behind it, in a salt marsh | Phebe Hemphill | 206,400,000 | 275,000,000 | — | 481,400,000 | |
| 30 | New York | Saratoga National Historical Park | November 16, 2015 (June 1, 1938) |
|
A close-up of John Burgoyne surrendering his sword to Horatio Gates | Renata Gordon | 215,800,000 | 223,000,000 | — | 438,800,000 | |
| 2016 | 31 | Illinois | Shawnee National Forest | February 1, 2016 (September 6, 1939) |
|
Camel Rock and natural vegetation with a red-tailed hawk overhead | Jim Licaretz | 151,800,000 | 155,600,000 | — | 307,400,000 |
| 32 | Kentucky | Cumberland Gap National Historical Park | April 4, 2016 (June 11, 1940) |
|
A frontiersman gazing across the Cumberland Mountains to the West | Joseph Menna | 223,200,000 | 215,400,000 | — | 438,600,000 | |
| 33 | West Virginia | Harpers Ferry National Historical Park | June 6, 2016 (June 30, 1944) |
|
John Brown's Fort | Phebe Hemphill | 424,000,000 | 434,630,000 | — | 858,630,000 | |
| 34 | North Dakota | Theodore Roosevelt National Park | August 29, 2016 (February 25, 1946) |
|
Theodore Roosevelt on horseback near the Little Missouri River | Phebe Hemphill | 223,200,000 | 231,600,000 | — | 454,800,000 | |
| 35 | South Carolina | Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument) | November 14, 2016 (April 28, 1948) |
|
William Jasper returning the regimental flag to the ramparts of Fort Moultrie | Joseph Menna | 142,200,000 | 154,400,000 | — | 296,600,000 | |
| 2017 | 36 | Iowa | Effigy Mounds National Monument | February 6, 2017 (October 25, 1949) |
|
An aerial view of effigy mounds in the Marching Bear Group | Renata Gordon | 210,800,000 | 271,200,000 | — | 482,000,000 |
| 37 | District of Columbia | Frederick Douglass National Historic Site | April 3, 2017 (September 5, 1962) |
|
Frederick Douglass seated at a writing desk with his home in the background | Phebe Hemphill | 185,800,000 | 184,800,000 | — | 370,600,000 | |
| 38 | Missouri | Ozark National Scenic Riverways | June 5, 2017 (August 27, 1964) |
|
Alley Mill | Renata Gordon | 200,000,000 | 203,000,000 | — | 403,000,000 | |
| 39 | New Jersey | Ellis Island (Statue of Liberty National Monument) | August 28, 2017 (May 11, 1965) |
|
An immigrant family approaching Ellis Island | Phebe Hemphill | 254,000,000 | 234,000,000 | — | 488,000,000 | |
| 40 | Indiana | George Rogers Clark National Historical Park | November 13, 2017 (July 23, 1966) |
|
George Rogers Clark leading his men through the flooded plains approaching Fort Sackville | Michael Gaudioso | 180,800,000 | 196,600,000 | — | 377,400,000 | |
| 2018 | 41 | Michigan | Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore | February 5, 2018 (October 15, 1966) |
|
Chapel Rock, with a white pine tree | Michael Gaudioso | 182,600,000 | 186,714,000 | — | 369,314,000 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | Apostle Islands National Lakeshore | April 9, 2018 (September 26, 1970) |
|
Devils Island, with sea caves and the Devils Island Lighthouse, and a kayaker in the foreground | Renata Gordon | 216,600,000 | 223,200,000 | — | 439,800,000 | |
| 43 | Minnesota | Voyageurs National Park | June 11, 2018 (January 8, 1971) |
|
A common loon, with a rock cliff in the background | Joseph Menna | 197,800,000 | 237,400,000 | — | 435,200,000 | |
| 44 | Georgia | Cumberland Island National Seashore | August 27, 2018 (October 23, 1972) |
|
A snowy egret, with a salt marsh in the background | Don Everhart | 151,600,000 | 138,000,000 | — | 289,600,000 | |
| 45 | Rhode Island | Block Island National Wildlife Refuge | November 13, 2018 (April 12, 1973) |
|
A black-crowned night heron flying over Cow Cove beach, with the North Lighthouse in the background | Phebe Hemphill | 159,600,000 | 159,600,000 | — | 319,200,000 | |
| 2019 | 46 | Massachusetts | Lowell National Historical Park | February 4, 2019 (June 5, 1978) |
|
A mill girl working at a power loom, with the Boott Mills clock tower outside the window | Phebe Hemphill | 182,200,000 | 165,800,000 | 2,000,000[15] | 350,000,000 |
| 47 | Northern Mariana Islands | American Memorial Park | April 1, 2019 (August 18, 1978) |
|
A young Chamorro woman at the Flag Circle and Court of Honor | Phebe Hemphill | 182,600,000 | 142,800,000 | 327,400,000 | ||
| 48 | Guam | War in the Pacific National Historical Park | June 3, 2019 (August 18, 1978) |
|
American forces coming ashore during the Second Battle of Guam | Michael Gaudioso | 114,400,000 | 116,600,000 | 233,000,000 | ||
| 49 | Texas | San Antonio Missions National Historical Park | August 26, 2019 (official release date)
before August 20, 2019 (accidental release)[16] |
|
In the angles of a Greek cross, the elements of the Spanish colonial real coin: arches and a bell of the Mission San Francisco de la Espada bell tower, a lion, waves, and wheat | Joseph Menna | 129,400,000 | 142,800,000 | 274,200,000 | ||
| 50 | Idaho | Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness | November 4, 2019 (official release date)
before October 29, 2019 (accidental release)[17] |
|
A drift boat on the Salmon River, with the wilderness in the background | Renata Gordon | 251,600,000 | 223,400,000 | 475,000,000 | ||
| 2020 | 51 | American Samoa | National Park of American Samoa | February 13, 2020 (October 31, 1988) |
|
Samoa flying fox mother and pup | Phebe Hemphill | 212,200,000 | 286,000,000 | 2,000,000[18] | 498,000,000 |
| 52 | Connecticut | Weir Farm National Historical Park | April 6, 2020 (October 31, 1990) |
|
Artist painting outside Weir Farm | Phebe Hemphill | 155,000,000 | 125,600,000 | 280,600,000 | ||
| 53 | U.S. Virgin Islands | Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve | June 1, 2020 (February 24, 1992) |
|
Young red mangrove tree | Joseph Menna | 515,000,000 | 580,200,000 | 1,095,200,000[19] | ||
| 54 | Vermont | Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park | August 31, 2020 (August 26, 1992) |
|
Young girl planting a Norway Spruce seedling | Michael Gaudioso | 345,800,000 | 304,600,000 | 650,400,000 | ||
| 55 | Kansas | Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve | November 16, 2020 (November 12, 1996) |
|
Regal fritillary flying through big bluestem grass | Renata Gordon | 142,400,000 | 101,200,000 | 245,600,000 | ||
| 2021 | 56 | Alabama | Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site | January 4, 2021 (November 6, 1998) |
|
Tuskegee Airman suiting up with two P-51 Mustangs flying overhead | Phebe Hemphill | 304,000,000 | 160,400,000 | — | 464,400,000 |
Site breakdown
[edit]Of the 56 designs there are
- 48 National Park Service areas
- 5 National Forests (United States Forest Service)
- 1 Wilderness area, composed of six national forests
- 2 National Wildlife Refuges (United States Fish and Wildlife Service)
Mintage details
[edit]Beginning with the El Yunque (Puerto Rico) design in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, the U.S. Mint began selling (at a premium) uncirculated 40-coin rolls and 100-coin bags of quarters with the San Francisco mint mark.[20] These coins were not included in the 2012 uncirculated sets or the three-coin ATB quarter sets (which consisted of an uncirculated "P" and "D" and proof "S" specimen) and no "S" mint-marked quarters are being released into circulation, so that mintages will be determined solely by direct demand for the "S" mint-marked coins. As of January 2013 initial United States Mint sales figures indicated that between 1.3 million and 1.6 million of each 2012 design had been struck at the San Francisco Mint, close to the announced mintage of 1.4 million for each design. Direct U.S. Mint sales of rolls and bags of uncirculated business strike coins continued with the 2013 America the Beautiful quarter issues, with actual quantities again determined by customer orders. The mintages of the uncirculated "S" quarters are considerably lower than that of the "P" and "D" mint-marked coins and are comparable to the 1996-W Roosevelt Dime (also not issued for circulation), which sells in the neighborhood of $20 each in an average grade. As of 2019, uncirculated "S" quarters can be obtained from dealers for about three to four times their face value.
In 2019 the Mint began to release "W" mintmarked quarters produced at the West Point Mint. Two million of each of the year's five issues, mixed in bags with the common "P" and "D" coins, were scheduled for distribution at various major cities. Intended to increase interest in coin collecting, these products are not available by order from the Mint.[21]
Also notable are the 2010 satin finish quarters issued only in 2010 mint sets with a low mintage of 583,897, and proof and silver proof issues, some with mintages almost as low as the 2010 satin finish quarters.
There are collector versions of the America the Beautiful 5-ounce Silver Bullion Coin Program which debuted on December 10, 2010. They feature an uncirculated finish and contain a ‘P’ mintmark indicating they were struck at the US Mint's facility in Philadelphia. The bullion coins were also struck in Philadelphia but contain no mintmark. The United States Mint struck these coins late in 2010 with an extremely limited mintage of only 27,000. The Mint had insufficient time to strike more before the end of the year owing to initial production difficulties with both America the Beautiful Five Ounce Coin series. This forced the Mint to only release these Hot Springs Coins the following year on April 28, 2011. Demand was intense in the first hours of availability with collectors ordering 19,000 of them in the first nine hours. Within two weeks, the Mint indicated a sell-out of the limited mintage strikes. Each coin's price is determined by the current value of silver and the 2010 issues sold for $279.95. Many subsequent issues have even lower mintages and higher secondary market values.
Aftermath
[edit]The 2008 legislation gave the Treasury Secretary the option of ordering a second round of 56 national parks quarters by 2018, but Steven Mnuchin did not do so. According to the legislation, once the America the Beautiful Quarters Program ended in 2021, the obverse of the quarter reverted to the original Flanagan design used from 1932 until the start of the 50 State Quarter Program. However, the reverse was redesigned to feature General Washington crossing the Delaware River, the same theme that was used on the 1999 New Jersey quarter.[1] The new quarter was released on April 5, 2021, and was minted for the rest of the year.
With the passage of the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116–330 (text) (PDF), the program will be succeeded by the American Women quarters from 2022 to 2025, a series commemorating the United States Semiquincentennial in 2026, and a series depicting youth sports from 2027 to 2030.[22]
Year map
[edit]
|
See also
[edit]
- America the Beautiful quarter mintage figures
- American Women quarters
- 50 State quarters
- America the Beautiful silver bullion coins
- District of Columbia and United States Territories quarters
- Presidential dollar coins
- American Innovation dollars
- Westward Journey nickel series
- United States Bicentennial coinage
References
[edit]- ^ a b "America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008" (PDF). usmint.gov.
- ^ "About the Program". usmint.gov. Archived from the original on March 10, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
- ^ a b "U.S. Mint Coin and Medal Programs | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. May 27, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "Privy Marks on Coins | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. April 6, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ "United States Mint to Release the First America the Beautiful Quarters® Program Coin with the San Francisco Mint mark on June 21 | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "W Mint Mark Circulating Quarter Collectible | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "America the Beautiful Quarters® National Site Register". usmint.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
- ^ "Mintage Totals – 2010". usmint.gov.
- ^ "Mintage Totals – 2011". usmint.gov.
- ^ "Mintage Totals – 2012". usmint.gov.
- ^ "Mintage Totals – 2013". usmint.gov.
- ^ "Mintage Totals – 2014". usmint.gov.
- ^ "Mintage Totals – 2015". usmint.gov.
- ^ "Mintage Totals – 2016". usmint.gov.
- ^ "Circulating rarities head to circulation: Quarters with the W Mint mark". Coin World. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ "2019 San Antonio Missions quarter dollars get early circulation release". Coin World. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ "Final 2019-W quarters found week before official release". Coin World. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ "Adding V75 privy mark means 2020-W quarter for American Samoa will be released last". CoinWorld. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Unser, Mike (September 11, 2020). "US Mint Produces Over 1.65 Billion Coins for Circulation in August". coinnews.net. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ Schechter, Scott. "S Mint quarters from US Mint bring premiums". coinworld.com. Amos Media Company. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
- ^ Gilkes, Paul (April 2, 2019). "Circulating rarities head to circulation: Quarters with the W Mint mark". Coin World.
- ^ "Gonzalez bill to honor American women on the quarter passes U.S. House of Representatives". U.S. Representative Anthony Gonzalez. September 23, 2020. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
External links
[edit]
- United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Programs
- H.R. 6184 (110th): America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008
- America the Beautiful Quarters Site
