In a start to the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters® Program, which honors 56 different sites on the reverse of the quarter-dollars between 2010-2021, the five new designs were unveiled at a short ceremony at the Newseum Museum in Washington, D.C., on March 24, 2010.

"Through America the Beautiful Quarters coins, we will be transported to national parks, forests and wildlife refuges, part of a vast public land legacy belonging to all Americans-natural and cultural treasures protected for our recreation, relaxation, education, inspiration and transformation," Mint Director Moy said at the ceremony.

For 11 years, 48 National Park sites, two U.S. Fish and Wildlife sites, and six U.S. Forest Service sites will be commemorated from each state, D.C. and U.S. territory.

The 2010 quarter-dollars will feature reverse ("tails side") design themes honoring:

• 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 Site in Oregon

Nineteen 2010 park quarter design candidates, with emphasis on the word "candidates," were made public by the Mint in late 2009. These were reviewed by various individuals and entities, and eventually five tweaked designs were selected by Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner after receiving recommendations from US Mint Directory Moy.

The following quarter pictures reveal the line art images of this year’s quarters:

2010 Hot Springs National Park Quarter Design

The design depicts the Hot Springs National Park headquarters building in the background. It 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. The site’s fountain is featured in the foreground. Inscriptions include HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

The quarter will be released on April 19, 2010, with an official ceremony held at the park on April 20, 2010.

2010 Yellowstone National Park Quarter Design

The design features Old Faithful with a bison in the foreground. Inscriptions include YELLOWSTONE, WYOMING, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

The quarter is set for release on June 1, 2010.

2010 Yosemite National Park Quarter Design

The design depicts El Capitan, which is 3,000 feet at the tallest point and is the largest monolith of granite in the world. Inscriptions include YOSEMITE, CALIFORNIA, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

The quarter is set for release on July 26, 2010.

2010 Grand Canyon National Park Quarter Design

The design depicts a view of the granaries above the Nankoweap Delta in Marble Canyon near the Colorado River. Inscriptions include GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

The quarter is set for release on September 20, 2010.

2010 Mount Hood National Forest Quarter Design

This reverse design portrays a view of Mount Hood with Lost Lake in the foreground. Inscriptions include MOUNT HOOD, OREGON, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

The quarter is set for release on November 15, 2010.

The obverse ("heads side") of each coin bears a restored version of the historic George Washington portrait, which was first featured on quarters back in 1932.

This year’s quarters kick-off the first year of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, which will feature 56 new designs on the back of the quarter-dollars at a rate of five per year until 2021.

The quarters honor a National Park or National Site in each state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. Territories.

This year’s quarters will feature one National Site and four National Park themes for:

• 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 Site in Oregon.

Nineteen 2010 design candidates for the five quarter-dollars were released to the public late last year. They were reviewed by various entities, to include the the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC).

From these nineteen and following recommended changes, five were selected by the Treasury Secretary after consulting with the US Mint Director and receiving his suggestions.

It is these five designs that will be revealed on March 24 at the Newseum at noon EST. Featured speakers at the event will include:

• United States Mint Director Ed Moy
• United States Treasurer, Rosie Rios
• Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar
• Writer and co-producer of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Dayton Duncan

The US Mint is releasing Hot Springs National Park quarter rolls on April 19, 2010. The coins will enter general circulation on the same day.

The 2011 quarters will launch at a more normalized pace next year. This year’s quarters are late as a result of a short time frame between the coin legislation getting enacted into law and their release. The 2011 quarters celebrate:

• Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania,
• Glacier National Park Quarter in Montana,
• Olympic National Park in Washington,
• Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi, and
• Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma.

The final selections for these coin designs should be unveiled in late December or January.

The CCAC is tasked with reviewing all US coin designs and themes, and then forwarding their recommendations to the US Mint Director and Secretary of the Treasury, who will make the final selections for all the commemoratives in the America the Beautiful Program, which honors national parks and other national sites through to 2021.

The 2011 quarters will feature Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, Glacier National Park in Montana, Olympic National Park in Washington, Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi, and Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma.

The US Mint has created several proposals in line art form for each, and will solicit comments for suggestions and changes at the meeting. The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) will eventually host a similar meeting for the same purpose.

For those wondering about the five quarters for this year, the 2010 park quarter candidate designs have already been reviewed by all of the required parties. The US Mint is expected to hold a ceremonial unveiling of the final designs in February. (See the article on our parent CoinNews.net site: 2010 America the Beautiful Quarter Designs Nearing Release.)

This year’s quarters feature Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Yosemite National Park in California, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon.

The CCAC meeting is scheduled to start at 9 AM and last until 11:30 AM ET. It will occur at:

United States Mint Headquarters
801 9th St. NW
5th Floor, North Conference Room
Washington, D.C.  20220

The new quarter-dollar program encompasses a total of 56 new quarters that will run from 2010 through 2021. At a rate of 5 per year, a new quarter will be issued featuring a reverse design emblematic of a National Park or National Site from each state as well as Washington D.C. and the U.S. territories — Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands.

Although there were hopes by some that Theodore Roosevelt, who had a passion and crusaded for conservation and national sites, would adorn the obverse or heads side of each quarter, an enhanced portrait of George Washington will continued to be used.

The United States Mint’s process for creating the new quarter-dollars includes the production of several candidate designs featuring themes for the selected national park or site. These are then submitted to the Secretary of the Interior, the chief executive of the host jurisdiction (State/District of Columbia/Territory), the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) for review and comment.

The candidates for the 2010 National Park Quarter Designs have already passed this step, and are at the next phase where the U.S. Mint Director makes the final recommendations to the Secretary of Treasury, who is tasked by the America’s Beautiful National Park Quarters Dollar Coin Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-456) to make the final design selections.

The following includes the park and site quarter candidate designs, in line art form, along with the recommendations made by the CFA and CCAC.

2010 Hot Springs National Park Quarter

Hot Springs Park Quarter Design AR-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Hot Springs Park Quarter Design AR-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Hot Springs Park Quarter Design AR-03 (Click to Enlarge)

Hot Springs Park Quarter Design AR-04 (Click to Enlarge)

For the coin portraying Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, the CCAC preferred quarter design candidate AR-04 which depicts the doorway of the main park’s building with a fountain in front of it. CCAC members "appreciated the design’s clear imagery, emphasis on water, and incorporation of natural landscape."

The CFA preferred AR-02 which features the doorway of the park’s main building from the 1930s. Members commented on the "simplicity of this design," although they questioned the quality of the drawings they had to review. Members also suggested that the small National Park Service sign to the right of the door be eliminated, believing it would be too small to make out at the scale of the quarter.

2010 Yellowstone National Park Quarter

Yellowstone Park Quarter Design WY-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Yellowstone Park Quarter Design WY-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Yellowstone Park Quarter Design WY-03 (Click to Enlarge)

For the coin portraying Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, the CCAC "strongly" preferred quarter design candidate WY-01. The design depicts a bison or buffalo in front of Old Faithful.

The CFA, on the other hand, disliked all of the designs due to their "poor quality" and selected none. Members approved of featuring Old Faithful, but suggest another depiction.

2010 Yosemite National Park Quarter

Yosemite Park Quarter Design CA-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Yosemite Park Quarter Design CA-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Yosemite Park Quarter Design CA-03 (Click to Enlarge)

Yosemite Park Quarter Design CA-04 (Click to Enlarge)

For the coin portraying Yosemite National Park in California, the CCAC liked quarter design candidate CA-03 which features a view of El Capitan. Committee members "praised the simplicity and ruggedness of the design, and its effective composition."

The CFA selected candidate CA-04, which depicts the Half Dome rock formation. However, members felt more work needed to be done with the artful to give it a more finished look. They recommenced the use of other sources to help in making refinements, like the photographs of Ansel Adams.

2010 Grand Canyon National Park Quarter

Grand Canyon Park Quarter Design AZ-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Grand Canyon Park Quarter Design AZ-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Grand Canyon Park Quarter Design AZ-03 (Click to Enlarge)

Grand Canyon Park Quarter Design AZ-04 (Click to Enlarge)

For the coin portraying Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, the recommended design from both the CCAC and CFA was AZ-01 which features an aerial view of the canyon. The CCAC commented that it, and AZ-04 were "powerful images." They chose the first design for scaling reasons. The CFA had the following to say in a letter to US Mint Director Ed Moy:

"The Commission recommended alternative #1, due the depth of the perspective view, but suggested several modifications. Noting that the foreground scree is given too much dominance in the composition, the Commission members recommended shifting the strong vertical alignment at the center of the coin to the right to emphasize the deep perspective toward the left side of the composition."

2010 Mount Hood National Forest Quarter

Mount Hood Forest Site Quarter Design OR-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Mount Hood Forest Site Quarter Design OR-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Mount Hood Forest Site Quarter Design OR-03 (Click to Enlarge)

Mount Hood Site Forest Quarter Design OR-04 (Click to Enlarge)

For the coin portraying Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon, the CCAC and CFA again agreed on a common design. Chosen was OR-03 which depicts Lost Lake in front of Mount Hood. The CCAC like its "imagery, and for the absence of design elements that would detract from the view of the mountain" while the CFA chose it for its " superior composition and simplicity of elements."

At a rate of 5 per year, a new quarter will be issued featuring a reverse design emblematic of a National Park or National Site from each state as well as Washington D.C. and the U.S. territories. After consulting with the executive in charge of each locality and with the Secretary of the Interior, the US Mint submitted a list of recommended sites to Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner who approved it on August 25, 2009. The order of issue for each coin will be determined by the date the site officially came under the control of the United States government.

As such, Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas will be the first coin in the new series. It was created as a reservation area in 1832 and renamed a National Park in 1922. The other coins due out in 2010 are Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Yosemite National Park in California, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon.

“These new quarters will honor some of our most revered, treasured and beautiful national sites — majestic and historic places located throughout the United States and its territories that truly make us ‘America the Beautiful,’” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy.

According to the Mint, the obverse (heads side) of these quarters will be a portrait of George Washington based on the historic image that first appeared on the quarter in 1932. The mint states that “subtle details and the beauty of the original model” will be seen in the William Cousins version that will be used (included design image shown above.) Cousins is no stranger to coin design, as his work has been seen on quarters since the 1999 launch of the 50 State Quarters® Program.

In addition to the quarter-dollar coins, the America’s Beautiful National Park Quarters Dollar Coin Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-156) that authorized them also calls for massive silver bullion coins to be released that are “exact duplicates of the quarter dollars.” These bullion strikes will be 3 inches in diameter and weigh 5 ounces. According to the law, each silver bullion coin will not be available until the quarter with the same design is issued.

Following is a complete list of the chosen sites to be featured in the America’s Beautiful National Park Quarters Program. Each entry shows the state, territory or district in which the site is located along with the year it came under federal control.

National Park & Site Quarter Release Schedule

2010

• Arkansas, Hot Springs National Park Quarter, 1832
• Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park Quarter, 1872
• California, Yosemite National Park Quarter, 1890
• Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park Quarter, 1893
• Oregon, Mt. Hood National Forest Site Quarter, 1893

2011

• Pennsylvania, Gettysburg National Military Park, 1895
• Montana, Glacier National Park Quarter, 1897
• Washington, Olympic National Park Quarter, 1897
• Mississippi, Vicksburg National Military Park Quarter, 1899
• Oklahoma, Chickasaw National Recreation Area Site Quarter, 1902

2012

• Puerto Rico, El Yunque National Forest Site Quarter, 1903
• New Mexico, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, 1907
• Maine, Acadia National Park Quarter, 1916
• Hawaii, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Quarter, 1916
• Alaska, Denali National Park Quarter, 1917

2013

• New Hampshire, White Mountain National Forest Site Quarter, 1918
• Ohio, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial Site Quarter, 1919
• Nevada, Great Basin National Park Quarter, 1922
• Maryland, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Site Quarter, 1925
• South Dakota, Mount Rushmore National Memorial Site Quarter, 1925

2014

• Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Quarter, 1926
• Virginia, Shenandoah National Park Quarter, 1926
• Utah, Arches National Park Quarter, 1929
• Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park Quarter, 1932
• Florida, Everglades National Park Quarter, 1934

2015

• Nebraska, Homestead National Monument of America Site Quarter, 1936
• Louisiana, Kisatchie National Forest Site Quarter, 1936
• North Carolina, Blue Ridge Parkway Site Quarter, 1936
• Delaware, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Site Quarter, 1937
• New York, Saratoga National Historical Park Quarter, 1938

2016

• Illinois, Shawnee National Forest Site Quarter, 1939
• Kentucky, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Quarter, 1940
• West Virginia, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Quarter, 1944
• North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park Quarter, 1946
• South Carolina, Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument) Site Quarter, 1948

2017

• Iowa, Effigy Mounds National Monument Site Quarter, 1949
• District of Columbia, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Quarter, 1962
• Missouri, Ozark National Scenic Riverways Site Quarter, 1964
• New Jersey, Ellis Island National Monument (Statue of Liberty) Site Quarter, 1965
• Indiana, George Rogers Clark National Historical Park Quarter, 1966

2018

• Michigan, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Site Quarter, 1966
• Wisconsin, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Site Quarter, 1970
• Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park Quarter, 1971
• Georgia, Cumberland Island National Seashore Site Quarter, 1972
• Rhode Island, Block Island National Wildlife Refuge Site Quarter, 1973

2019

• Massachusetts, Lowell National Historical Park Quarter, 1978
• Northern Mariana Islands, American Memorial Park Quarter, 1978
• Guam, War in the Pacific National Historical Park Quarter, 1978
• Texas, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Quarter, 1978
• Idaho, Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Site Quarter, 1980

2020

• American Samoa, National Park of American Samoa Quarter, 1988
• Connecticut, Weir Farm National Historic Site Quarter, 1990
• U.S. Virgin Islands, Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve Quarter, 1992
• Vermont, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Quarter, 1992
• Kansas, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Site Quarter, 1996

2021

• Alabama, Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Quarter, 1998

For more, also see America the Beautiful Quarters.

Information about the National Park Quarters has been minimal, as should be expected for much of 2009 given the United States Mint will not begin issuing the quarters until 2010.

However, the first five quarter designs will be completed this year in preparation for their release next year. And the CCAC, which advises the Secretary of the Treasury on designs for coinage, has already made their first recommendation for the series.

The America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act (H.R.6184), which authorizes five quarters per year for at least the next eleven years, states each quarter design is to be “emblematic of a national park or other national site in each State, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the United States.”

With that, most collectors would probably expect the quarter’s reverse to take on a park theme and the obverse (heads side) to be the same as the 50 State quarters and the 2009 D.C. and U.S. Territories quarters. The CCAC recommendation has merit. Strong merit.

Theodore Roosevelt had a passion and crusaded for conservation and national sites. Roosevelt set a aside a massive amount of land, adding 42 million acres of national forests and over 50 national wildlife refuges — more than all of his predecessors combined.

Roosevelt’s image on commemorative park quarters makes more sense than any other president. Yet, replacing Washington who has been on quarters since 1932 is not an easy decision to make either.

The final decision will be made in the coming months.

H.R. 6184 passed in the U.S. House of Representatives July 9, 2008 and unpredictably gained approval in the lame duck session of the Senate on December 10, 2008. President Bush signed the act into law on December 23, 2008.

For the Numismatic News article, read CCAC picks favorites.

[Editor's update: Roosevelt's image will not be placed on the obverse of the new quarters. For an interesting perspective on the top, read: America the Beautiful Quarters, CCAC Dropped the Ball.]