US Mint Unveils First Five Coins in America the Beautiful Quarters Program

WASHINGTON (adapted from the US Mint press release)—The US Mint unveiled the designs for the first five quarters in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program in a special ceremony today at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. US Mint Director Ed Moy treated special guests and the media to a first look at the new designs, which celebrate the spectacular natural wonders that are found in the United States’ national parks, forests, shores and other national sites. Other speakers included Congressman Mike Castle, one of the lead co-sponsors of the legislation; United States Treasurer Rosie Rios; Harris Sherman, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment; and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

The first quarter in the series, which honors Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, will be released into circulation on April 19, with an official launch ceremony in Hot Springs on April 20. It will be followed by quarters honoring Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming (to be released in June), Yosemite National Park in California (July), Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona (September), and Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon (November).

The following is the video from the introduction of the designs at the Newseum along with interviews and B-Roll footage.

America the Beautiful Quarters Designs

Click to Image to Enlarge
1. The image on the reverse of the Hot Springs National Park quarter depicts the façade of the Hot Springs National Park headquarters building with a fountain in the foreground. The headquarters was built in the Spanish colonial revival style and completed in 1936. The National Park Service emblem is featured to the right of the door.
2. The image on the reverse of the Yellowstone National Park quarter features the Old Faithful geyser with a mature bull bison in the foreground.
3. The image on the reverse of the Yosemite National Park quarter depicts the iconic El Capitan, which rises more than 3,000 feet above the valley floor and is the largest monolith of granite in the world.
4. The image on the reverse of the Grand Canyon National Park quarter features a view of the granaries above the Nankoweap Delta in Marble Canyon near the Colorado River. Marble Canyon is the northernmost section of the Grand Canyon. Granaries were used for storing food and seeds (A.D. 500).
5. The image on the reverse of the Mount Hood National Forest quarter depicts a view of Mount Hood with Lost Lake in the foreground.

Each coin in the series features a common obverse (heads side) with the 1932 portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan, which has been restored to bring out subtle details and the beauty of the original model. Inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.

For more information on the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, please visit www.americathebeautifulquarters.gov.

Learning through the America the Beautiful Quarters Program
The America the Beautiful Quarters Program will also introduce a brand new lesson plan format with a series of interactive educational tools for students from kindergarten through high school. Students will be able to take a virtual visit to the national sites highlighted each year and have the opportunity to learn about forest communities and the plants and animals that live in our national parks and sites. For more information about America the Beautiful Quarters Program educational resources, please visit www.usmint.gov/?action=educators.