Arches National Park Quarter for Utah is the third 2014-dated coin from the America the Beautiful Quarters® series by the United States Mint. It marks the 23rd out of a total of 56 quarters scheduled and has a circulation release date of June 9, 2014.
June 9th is also when the public can begin ordering rolls and bags of Arches National Park Quarters from the U.S. Mint (www.usmint.gov). The Mint does charge a premium for quarter products but usually it is the least expensive way to get them the quickest.
Finding new quarters in circulation takes time as local financial institutions cannot order them by specific design from the Federal Reserve Banking system.
Available circulating-quality quarters from the United States Mint also include those produced from the Denver Mint, the Philadelphia Mint and the San Francisco Mint with each bearing visible mint marks of ‘D’, ‘P’ or ‘S’. Denver and Philadelphia are responsible for producing all U.S. coins used in commerce. The Mint added circulating-quality San Francisco-produced quarters in 2012 as an option for coin collectors.
Designs
The reverse design for the Arches National Park Quarter became public in late 2013. That happened after several design proposals were reviewed by the Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee and the Commission of Fine arts with final recommendations made to the Treasury Secretary who made the single selection.
Designed by Donna Weaver and sculpted by Charles L. Vickers, the reverse or tails side depicts Delicate Arch, a 65-foot freestanding natural arch. The La Sal Mountains are also visible in the background. Inscriptions around the design read: ARCHES, UTAH, 2014 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
The obverse or heads side of each strike in the series has the same portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States. It was designed by John Flanagan.
Before the Arches National Park Quarter in 2014, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Quarter and the Shenandoah National Park Quarter will have entered circulation. Following the Arches quarter are the Great Sand Dunes National Park Quarter and the Everglades National Park Quarter.
Arches National Park information
Arches National Park of Utah was founded originally as a national monument in 1929. After several changes, and with additional land acquired, in 1971 it was finally declared a national park.
There are over 2,000 sandstone arches in Arches National Park, including the most famous Delicate Arch that is featured on the quarter’s reverse. Tourists can hike to see many of these arches, but must be prepared for extremes in weather. During the summer, temperatures can reach over 100 degrees, while in the winter temperatures can drop to below zero.
The arches were developed by thousands of years of erosion, which still occurs today and have caused over 40 arches to collapse since 1970.
Tourists can come hike many of the trails in the 119 square miles of the national park, ranging in elevations of just over 4,000 feet to over 5,500 feet. With over 800,000 visitors a year, it is clear that this is a hit destination spot.