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.

With the conclusion of the highly successful 50 State Quarters® Program this year and the six-quarter DC and US Territories program beginning and ending in 2009, the quarter-dollar was set to revert to a static design in 2010.

No longer. The year will now mark the launch of a new series of coins to "provide for a program for circulating quarter dollar coins that are emblematic of a national park or other national site in each State, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the United States." A list of parks shows the potential for a very broad scope of designs.

The America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act (H.R.6184) passed in the House of Representatives July 9, 2008 and unpredictably gained approval in the lame duck session of the Senate on December 10, 2008.

The president’s signature today makes the bill law, and authorizes at least 56 new quarter designs at a rate of 5 per year and lasting for a minimum of 11 years. There is a clause in H.R. 6184 authorizing the Treasury Secretary to extend the series for another round, which could push the program length to whopping two decades.

The quarters will be issued in the order a park or site was designated, with the sites selected within 270 days from today. The Treasury Secretary will make each selection after "consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the governor or other chief executive of each State with respect to which a coin is to be issued."

Perhaps most interesting to collectors is H.R. 6184’s "Silver Bullion Coin" language. It calls for a gigantic 3.0 inch, 5.0 ounce duplicate of each quarter that is to be struck in .999 fine silver. As a comparison, the popular American Eagle silver coin is 1.598 inches in diameter and contains a single ounce of silver.

Another Senate version of the bill (S.3290), which did not pass, actually called for super-sized, eight ounce quarters. Congress is obviously entertaining idea changes to collector bullion coinage that may be forthcoming in other series or commemoratives.

Upon the completion of the National Parks Quarter coin program, the obverse of the quarter dollar will revert to the past image of President Washington that was in effect before the 50-State quarter program.

The reverse is to depict George Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton.

It is all too common for legislation to take months and sometimes years to pass. Hope for 2008 action on H.R.6184 dwindled further as the political season approached and the resulting lame duck members of congress returned to Washington D.C. to close out the year. Few would have expected its Senate passage by Unanimous Consent this year.

President Bush will likely sign the bill into law within ten days. With that, commemorative national park or site quarters at the rate of five different designs per year for each state, D.C. and U.S. Territory will be issued beginning in 2010. The legislation authorizes a second round of quarters at the discretion of the Treasury Secretary, which could push the series into 2020.

The commemorative quarters are to be designs as "emblematic of a national park or other national site in each State, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the United States, and for other purposes."

Additionally, a silver coin that is a duplicate of each quarter is to be struck from .999 fine silver and have an impressive diameter of 3.0 inches with a weight of 5.0 ounces. No modern coins of such size have ever been issued by the United States Mint.

The National Parks Quarter bill first appeared in the House of Representatives when Rep. Mike Castle introduced it on June 4, 2008. On June 26, Senator John Barrasso brought a similar measure (S.3214) before the Senate, showing his support for park and site coins.

For any legislation to become law, both houses must first agree to and pass a common bill and the president must sign it.

The United States Mint just wrapped up the 50 State Quarters® Program and will spend 2009 issuing six commemorative quarters to honor the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

The new one has some extra phrases that clarify certain sections in the bill, but most of the changes are barely noticeable. The purpose is the same — to create commemorative national park or site quarters in each state, D.C. and U.S. Territory starting in 2010.

The silver bullion coin section — the portion that permits a collector version of park quarters — does stands out. The older legislation has the silver weight at 5 ounces with a diameter of 3 inches — that is unique by itself for US coinage. (US bullion coins have been one ounce at most.) The newest proposal has increased the weight to a much larger 8 ounces. More on this in an upcoming post.

It’s hard to say why the old bill wasn’t updated. It was already very similar to the House of Representatives version (H.R.6184) that passed on July 9.

S.3290 does show continuing support for park quarters in the Senate and stronger evidence a quarter bill will become law.

Senator John Barrasso introduced the last one and this latest version. This time too, Senators Tim Johnson and Mike Enzi are listed with Barrasso.

Johnson said in a statement:

"South Dakota is blessed with some of the country’s most cherished natural and historic places, including Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Jewel Cave National Monument, and the Missouri National Recreational River.

We have all enjoyed seeing each new coin as part of the 50 State Coin Program. This legislation will now give us a chance to highlight the beauty of our National Parks."

A version of the legislation must pass both houses and get signed by the President before any new quarters can be designed, minted and issued.

When the House unanimously passed their bill (H.R.6184) July 9, Barrasso voiced his continuing support and said the first coin will depict Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park.

"As the nation’s first national park, it is only fitting that Yellowstone, as a part of Wyoming ’s unique heritage, is commemorated on the first quarter," Barrasso said. "I believe these coins will increase awareness and promote efforts to preserve America ’s national treasures for generations to come."

"Millions of people experience the pristine wilderness and rugged beauty of areas like Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Tetons, and Devil’s Tower National Monument every year. The people of Wyoming are rightly proud of the many places that display our state’s unique heritage and natural beauty."

Now Barrasso must get his Senate colleagues to pass the bill!

The Senate must now consider and pass it.

In a supportive move, Senator John Barrasso introduced an identical vesion (S.3214) on June 26, 2008. This version or that of the House will eventually get scheduled for a Senate up or down vote. (There is a chance both bills will die in silence in some committee forever. An article by an online news site for coin collectors suggests the odds are small.)

There are, of course, no guarantees the bill becomes law. However, while some collectors dislike the idea of another new quarter series, their disdain hasn’t been similarly voiced by members of congress.

After Senate passage by vote, any differences between the House and Senate versions will need to be reconciled, voted on again and then a final version sent to the President for signing. Once signed, the bill becomes law.