A new series of quarters is scheduled to debut next year from the United States Mint. Known as America the Beautiful Quarters, the series will include fifty six different designs. Each one will be a unique depiction of a National Park or National Site from the 50 States, US Territories, and Washington DC.
The series comes on the heels of the highly successful 50 State Quarters Program. Launched in 1999, the series released a total of fifty different quarters at a rate of five per year until 2008. The series helped introduce a new generation of coin collectors and allowed anyone to learn about the states by examining their pocket change. During 2009, six additional coins were issued to recognize the US Territories and the District of Columbia.
The prior programs and the new America the Beautiful Quarters program share some similarities, but also have some differences. Similarly, the new program will feature unique reverse designs for each subject, released at a rate of five new designs per year. The obverse of the coins will feature a constant design, which is a restored portrait of George Washington. The quarters will be issued for general circulation, allowing anyone to collect the coins from change received at everyday transactions.
The focus of the series will shift National sites. Under the authorizing legislation, this includes any site under the supervision, management, or conservancy of the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or similar department or agency of the federal government. Sites selected for the program include National Parks, National Forests, National Preserves, and National Wildlife Refuges.
The new collectible introduced with the series will be over-sized silver bullion coins. These five ounce .999 fine silver coins will be issued each year with designs which are an exact duplicate of the quarters. The coins will be sold by the United States Mint as bullion through their network of authorized bullion purchasers.
The America the Beautiful Quarters scheduled for release during the inaugural year of 2010 will feature 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.
Learn more about America the Beautiful Quarters. Find more detailed information on the separate America the Beautiful Bullion Coins.