Wikipedia

America the Beautiful quarters

For the quarters issued from 1999 to 2008, see 50 State quarters. For the quarters issued in 2009, see District of Columbia and United States Territories quarters. For the quarters issued from 2022 to 2025, see American Women quarters.

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).

America the Beautiful quarter
United States
Value0.25 U.S. Dollar
Mass6.25(Ag); 5.67 (Cu-Ni) g
Diameter24.26 mm (0.955 in)
Thickness1.75 mm (0.069 in)
Edge119 reeds
Composition91.67% Cu 8.33% Ni (standard)
90% Ag 10% Cu (2010–2018 silver proof)
99.9% Ag (2019–2021 silver proof)
Years of minting2010–2021
Mint marksP, D, S, W
Obverse
Obverse design for the America the Beautiful quarter series
DesignGeorge Washington
DesignerJohn Flanagan from a 1786 bust by Houdon
Design date2010
Reverse
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site quarter
Designvarious; up to five designs per year (latest design shown)
Designervarious
Design date2010–2021

Coin designs

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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

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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]

 
Obverse of a 2020 America the Beautiful quarter from the West Point Mint featuring the V75 privy mark

Mint marks

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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

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Year No. Jurisdiction Site Design Elements depicted Release date[7]
(national site date) 		Mintage[8]

[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Denver Philadelphia West Point Total
2010 1 Arkansas Hot Springs National Park   The park headquarters building with a thermal fountain in front of it April 19, 2010
(April 20, 1832) 		34,000,000 35,600,000 — 69,600,000
2 Wyoming Yellowstone National Park   A bison and Old Faithful June 1, 2010
(March 1, 1872) 		34,800,000 33,600,000 — 68,400,000
3 California Yosemite National Park   El Capitan July 26, 2010
(October 1, 1890) 		35,000,000 35,000,000 — 70,000,000
4 Arizona Grand Canyon National Park   Marble Canyon September 20, 2010
(February 20, 1893) 		35,400,000 34,800,000 — 70,200,000
5 Oregon Mount Hood National Forest   Lost Lake with Mount Hood in the distance November 15, 2010
(September 28, 1893) 		34,400,000 34,400,000 — 68,800,000
2011 6 Pennsylvania Gettysburg National Military Park   The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument January 24, 2011
(February 11, 1895) 		30,400,000 30,800,000 — 61,200,000
7 Montana Glacier National Park   A mountain goat with Reynolds Mountain in the distance April 4, 2011
(February 22, 1897) 		31,200,000 30,400,000 — 61,600,000
8 Washington Olympic National Park   A Roosevelt elk at the Hoh River with Mount Olympus in the distance June 13, 2011
(February 22, 1897) 		30,500,000 30,500,000 — 61,000,000
9 Mississippi Vicksburg National Military Park   The USS Cairo on the Yazoo River August 29, 2011
(February 21, 1899) 		33,400,000 30,800,000 — 64,200,000
10 Oklahoma Chickasaw National Recreation Area   The Lincoln Bridge November 14, 2011
(July 1, 1902) 		69,400,000 73,800,000 — 143,200,000
2012 11 Puerto Rico El Yunque National Forest   A Puerto Rican amazon and a common coquí January 23, 2012
(January 17, 1903) 		25,000,000 25,800,000 — 50,800,000
12 New Mexico Chaco Culture National Historical Park   Two elevated kivas that are part of the Chetro Ketl complex April 2, 2012
(March 11, 1907) 		22,000,000 22,000,000 — 44,000,000
13 Maine Acadia National Park   The Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse June 11, 2012
(July 8, 1916) 		21,606,000 24,800,000 — 46,406,000
14 Hawaii Hawaii Volcanoes National Park   Kīlauea August 27, 2012
(August 1, 1916) 		78,600,000 46,200,000 — 124,800,000
15 Alaska Denali National Park and Preserve   A Dall sheep with Denali in the background November 5, 2012
(February 26, 1917) 		166,600,000 135,400,000 — 302,000,000
2013 16 New Hampshire White Mountain National Forest   Mount Chocorua with birch trees in the foreground January 28, 2013
(May 16, 1918) 		107,600,000 68,800,000 — 176,400,000
17 Ohio Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial   The statue of Oliver Hazard Perry and the International Peace Memorial column April 1, 2013
(March 3, 1919) 		55,000,000 45,000,000 — 100,000,000
18 Nevada Great Basin National Park   A bristlecone pine June 10, 2013
(January 24, 1922) 		141,400,000 122,400,000 — 263,800,000
19 Maryland Fort McHenry National Monument   Fort McHenry under bombardment August 26, 2013
(March 3, 1925) 		151,400,000 120,000,000 — 271,400,000
20 South Dakota Mount Rushmore National Memorial   Workers carving the Mount Rushmore National Memorial November 4, 2013
(March 3, 1925) 		272,400,000 231,800,000 — 504,200,000
2014 21 Tennessee Great Smoky Mountains National Park   A log cabin in the forest with a hawk in flight January 27, 2014
(May 22, 1926) 		99,400,000 73,200,000 — 172,600,000
22 Virginia Shenandoah National Park   A hiker at the summit of Stony Man Trail March 31, 2014
(May 22, 1926) 		197,800,000 112,800,000 — 310,600,000
23 Utah Arches National Park   Delicate Arch with the La Sal Mountains in the distance June 9, 2014
(April 12, 1929) 		251,400,000 214,200,000 — 465,600,000
24 Colorado Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve   A father and son playing on the banks of a creek, with sand dunes and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background August 25, 2014
(March 17, 1932) 		171,800,000 159,600,000 — 331,400,000
25 Florida Everglades National Park   An anhinga on a willow, and a roseate spoonbill wading in the water November 3, 2014
(May 30, 1934) 		142,400,000 157,601,000 — 300,001,200
2015 26 Nebraska Homestead National Historical Park   A log cabin, two ears of corn, and a water pump, representing shelter, food, and water February 9, 2015
(March 19, 1936) 		248,600,000 214,400,000 — 463,000,000
27 Louisiana Kisatchie National Forest   A wild turkey in flight over bluestem grass, with long leaf pines in the background April 13, 2015
(June 3, 1936) 		379,600,000 397,200,000 — 776,800,000
28 North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway   A short stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, with flowering dogwood in the foreground June 8, 2015
(June 30, 1936) 		505,200,000 325,616,000 — 830,816,000
29 Delaware Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge   A great blue heron, with a great egret behind it, in a salt marsh September 14, 2015
(June 22, 1937) 		206,400,000 275,000,000 — 481,400,000
30 New York Saratoga National Historical Park   A close-up of John Burgoyne surrendering his sword to Horatio Gates November 16, 2015
(June 1, 1938) 		215,800,000 223,000,000 — 438,800,000
2016 31 Illinois Shawnee National Forest   Camel Rock and natural vegetation with a red-tailed hawk overhead February 1, 2016
(September 6, 1939) 		151,800,000 155,600,000 — 307,400,000
32 Kentucky Cumberland Gap National Historical Park   A frontiersman gazing across the Cumberland Mountains to the West April 4, 2016
(June 11, 1940) 		223,200,000 215,400,000 — 438,600,000
33 West Virginia Harpers Ferry National Historical Park   John Brown's Fort June 6, 2016
(June 30, 1944) 		424,000,000 434,630,000 — 858,630,000
34 North Dakota Theodore Roosevelt National Park   Theodore Roosevelt on horseback near the Little Missouri River August 29, 2016
(February 25, 1946) 		223,200,000 231,600,000 — 454,800,000
35 South Carolina Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument)   William Jasper returning the regimental flag to the ramparts of Fort Moultrie November 14, 2016
(April 28, 1948) 		142,200,000 154,400,000 — 296,600,000
2017 36 Iowa Effigy Mounds National Monument   An aerial view of effigy mounds in the Marching Bear Group February 6, 2017
(October 25, 1949) 		210,800,000 271,200,000 — 482,000,000
37 District of Columbia Frederick Douglass National Historic Site   Frederick Douglass seated at a writing desk with his home in the background April 3, 2017
(September 5, 1962) 		185,800,000 184,800,000 — 370,600,000
38 Missouri Ozark National Scenic Riverways   Alley Mill June 5, 2017
(August 27, 1964) 		200,000,000 203,000,000 — 403,000,000
39 New Jersey Ellis Island (Statue of Liberty National Monument)   An immigrant family approaching Ellis Island August 28, 2017
(May 11, 1965) 		254,000,000 234,000,000 — 488,000,000
40 Indiana George Rogers Clark National Historical Park   George Rogers Clark leading his men through the flooded plains approaching Fort Sackville November 13, 2017
(July 23, 1966) 		180,800,000 196,600,000 — 377,400,000
2018 41 Michigan Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore   Chapel Rock, with a white pine tree February 5, 2018
(October 15, 1966) 		182,600,000 186,714,000 — 369,314,000
42 Wisconsin Apostle Islands National Lakeshore   Devils Island, with sea caves and the Devils Island Lighthouse, and a kayaker in the foreground April 9, 2018
(September 26, 1970) 		216,600,000 223,200,000 — 439,800,000
43 Minnesota Voyageurs National Park   A common loon, with a rock cliff in the background June 11, 2018
(January 8, 1971) 		197,800,000 237,400,000 — 435,200,000
44 Georgia Cumberland Island National Seashore   A snowy egret, with a salt marsh in the background August 27, 2018
(October 23, 1972) 		151,600,000 138,000,000 — 289,600,000
45 Rhode Island Block Island National Wildlife Refuge   A black-crowned night heron flying over Cow Cove beach, with the North Lighthouse in the background November 13, 2018
(April 12, 1973) 		159,600,000 159,600,000 — 319,200,000
2019 46 Massachusetts Lowell National Historical Park   A mill girl working at a power loom, with the Boott Mills clock tower outside the window February 4, 2019
(June 5, 1978) 		182,200,000 165,800,000 2,000,000[15] 350,000,000
47 Northern Mariana Islands American Memorial Park   A young Chamorro woman at the Flag Circle and Court of Honor April 1, 2019
(August 18, 1978) 		182,600,000 142,800,000 2,000,000[15] 327,400,000
48 Guam War in the Pacific National Historical Park   American forces coming ashore during the Second Battle of Guam June 3, 2019
(August 18, 1978) 		114,400,000 116,600,000 2,000,000[15] 233,000,000
49 Texas San Antonio Missions National Historical Park   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 August 26, 2019 (official release date)

before August 20, 2019 (accidental release)[16]
(November 10, 1978)

129,400,000 142,800,000 2,000,000[15] 274,200,000
50 Idaho Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness   A drift boat on the Salmon River, with the wilderness in the background November 4, 2019 (official release date)

before October 29, 2019 (accidental release)[17]
(July 23, 1980)

251,600,000 223,400,000 2,000,000[15] 475,000,000
2020 51 American Samoa National Park of American Samoa   Samoa flying fox mother and pup February 13, 2020
(October 31, 1988) 		212,200,000 286,000,000 2,000,000[18] 498,000,000
52 Connecticut Weir Farm National Historical Park   Artist painting outside Weir Farm April 6, 2020
(October 31, 1990) 		155,000,000 125,600,000 2,000,000[18] 280,600,000
53 U.S. Virgin Islands Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve   Young red mangrove tree June 1, 2020
(February 24, 1992) 		515,000,000 580,200,000 2,000,000[18] 1,095,200,000[19]
54 Vermont Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park   Young girl planting a Norway Spruce seedling August 31, 2020
(August 26, 1992) 		345,800,000 304,600,000 2,000,000[18] 650,400,000
55 Kansas Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve   Regal fritillary flying through big bluestem grass November 16, 2020
(November 12, 1996) 		142,400,000 101,200,000 2,000,000[18] 245,600,000
2021 56 Alabama Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site   Tuskegee Airman suiting up with two P-51 Mustangs flying overhead January 4, 2021
(November 6, 1998) 		304,000,000 160,400,000 — 464,400,000

Site breakdown

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Of the 56 designs there are

Mintage details

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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

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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

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The following map shows the years in which the selected National Park or site in each jurisdiction was honored.
 
The following table has the quarters grouped by year.
Color Year 1st release 2nd release 3rd release 4th release 5th release
2010 Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas) Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming) Yosemite National Park (California) Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona) Mount Hood National Forest (Oregon)
2011 Gettysburg National Military Park (Pennsylvania) Glacier National Park (Montana) Olympic National Park (Washington) Vicksburg National Military Park (Mississippi) Chickasaw National Recreation Area (Oklahoma)
2012 El Yunque National Forest (Puerto Rico) Chaco Culture National Historical Park (New Mexico) Acadia National Park (Maine) Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii) Denali National Park and Preserve (Alaska)
2013 White Mountain National Forest (New Hampshire) Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial (Ohio) Great Basin National Park (Nevada) Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (Maryland) Mount Rushmore National Memorial (South Dakota)
2014 Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee) Shenandoah National Park (Virginia) Arches National Park (Utah) Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (Colorado) Everglades National Park (Florida)
2015 Homestead National Monument of America (Nebraska) Kisatchie National Forest (Louisiana) Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina) Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge (Delaware) Saratoga National Historical Park (New York)
2016 Shawnee National Forest (Illinois) Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (Kentucky) Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (West Virginia) Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota) Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument) (South Carolina)
2017 Effigy Mounds National Monument (Iowa) Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (District of Columbia) Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Missouri) Ellis Island (Statue of Liberty National Monument) (New Jersey) George Rogers Clark National Historical Park (Indiana)
2018 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (Michigan) Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (Wisconsin) Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota) Cumberland Island National Seashore (Georgia) Block Island National Wildlife Refuge (Rhode Island)
2019 Lowell National Historical Park (Massachusetts) American Memorial Park (Northern Mariana Islands) War in the Pacific National Historical Park (Guam) San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (Texas) Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness (Idaho)
2020 National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa) Weir Farm National Historical Park (Connecticut) Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve (United States Virgin Islands) Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (Vermont) Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (Kansas)
2021 Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (Alabama) —

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008" (PDF). usmint.gov.
  2. ^ "About the Program". usmint.gov. Archived from the original on March 10, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "U.S. Mint Coin and Medal Programs | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. May 27, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  4. ^ "Privy Marks on Coins | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. April 6, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "W Mint Mark Circulating Quarter Collectible | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  7. ^ "America the Beautiful Quarters® National Site Register". usmint.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  8. ^ "Mintage Totals – 2010". usmint.gov.
  9. ^ "Mintage Totals – 2011". usmint.gov.
  10. ^ "Mintage Totals – 2012". usmint.gov.
  11. ^ "Mintage Totals – 2013". usmint.gov.
  12. ^ "Mintage Totals – 2014". usmint.gov.
  13. ^ "Mintage Totals – 2015". usmint.gov.
  14. ^ "Mintage Totals – 2016". usmint.gov.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Circulating rarities head to circulation: Quarters with the W Mint mark". Coin World. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  16. ^ "2019 San Antonio Missions quarter dollars get early circulation release". Coin World. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  17. ^ "Final 2019-W quarters found week before official release". Coin World. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  18. ^ a b c d e "Adding V75 privy mark means 2020-W quarter for American Samoa will be released last". CoinWorld. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  19. ^ Unser, Mike (September 11, 2020). "US Mint Produces Over 1.65 Billion Coins for Circulation in August". coinnews.net. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  20. ^ Schechter, Scott. "S Mint quarters from US Mint bring premiums". coinworld.com. Amos Media Company. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  21. ^ Gilkes, Paul (April 2, 2019). "Circulating rarities head to circulation: Quarters with the W Mint mark". Coin World.
  22. ^ "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.
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Preceded by America the Beautiful quarters
(2010–2021) 		Succeeded by
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