With the New Year upon us, it is time to start thinking of 2010 issues coming from the United States Mint. One of the most highly anticipated among collectors is the debut of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, featuring commemorative quarter-dollars honoring national parks and other national sites.

Containing five new designs annually for the length of the 11-year series, the US Mint will be issuing many related products as a result of the program throughout the course of each year. Those familiar with the 50-State Quarter Program and its follow-up DC and Territories Program will recognize most of the options.

According to the Mint, the five new quarters to be issued in 2010 have the following anticipated release months:

• April – Hot Springs Park Quarter

• June – Yellowstone Park Quarter

• July/August – Yosemite Park Quarter

• September – Grand Canyon Park Quarter

• November – Mount Hood National Forest Site Quarter

In doing a bit of analysis on the preliminary product schedule from the Mint, we can also determine when most of the related national park quarter products will be available, how much they will cost and what they will include:

• May – 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Proof Set, $14.95- This set contains clad (91.67 percent copper, 8.33 percent nickel) versions of each of the five park quarter designs struck to a proof finish so they will have a mirror-like surface and brilliant detail. Each coin will bear the ‘S’ mintmark as the proof set is made at the Mint’s facility in San Francisco.

• May/June – 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set, $29.95- This set is similar to the normal quarters proof set except that each coin is struck from 90% silver and 10% copper.

• Following each design release – 2010 America the Beautiful Quarter Two-Roll Sets, $32.95 – This set includes two-rolls of circulation quality park quarters, each containing 40 coins. One roll is filled with quarters struck at the Denver Mint and one roll is filled with quarters struck at the Philadelphia Mint.

• Following each design release – 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters 100-Coin Bags, $32.95 individually or $65.90 for a set. These bags contain 100 circulation quality quarters struck at either Denver or Philadelphia for $32.95. The P&D set includes one bag from both Mints and sells for $65.90.

• July/August – United States Mint Proof Set®, $29.95 – This 14-coin set contains clad proof issues struck at the San Francisco Mint. Included in the set are the four Presidential $1 coins, the 2010 Native American $1 coin, the Kennedy half-dollar, the five 2010 quarters, the Roosevelt dime, the Jefferson nickel and the 2010 Lincoln cent.

• July – United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set®, $27.95 – Known to most as the Mint Set, it contains 14 coins from the Denver Mint and 14 coins from the Philadelphia Mint, each struck to uncirculated quality using burnished blanks resulting in a satin like finish.The 14 coins include everything from the dollar coins down to the newly designed 2010 Lincoln cent.

• August/September – United States Mint Silver Proof Set®, $52.95 – Just like the clad proof set except that several of the coins are struck from 90% silver and 10% copper rather than their typical clad composition. Those featured in silver are the five quarters, the half-dollar and the dime.

• Not listed – Several other related products will be issued throughout the year, but the Mint has not released any details yet. An example of this are the three-inch diameter America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins. Each contains five ounces of .999 fine silver, and replicates the design of the quarter.

As previously stated, most of these options are well-known to collectors, but that will not deter from their desirability. The 50-state quarter series proved to be in high demand and the America the Beautiful Quarters should see similar interest.

Check out the park quarter links above for the original designs for each coin, or also see 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Designs.