The United States Mint planned three days of events to celebrate the launch of the 2011 Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter.
These new coins honor the national site in Sulphur, Oklahoma. The reverse design on the Chickasaw quarter features the Lincoln Bridge over Travertine Creek. The limestone bridge, a popular destination within the park, was dedicated in 1909 to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The coin’s design was created by Donna Weaver and engraved by Jim Licaretz.
Beginning on Monday, November 14, 2011 at 12 noon Eastern Time, the United States Mint released 100-coin bags and two-roll sets of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area quarter. The bags and rolls contain circulation quality strikes that have not entered general circulation.
Collectors buying from the United States Mint have the choice of quarters produced in Philadelphia or Denver when ordering the 100-coin bags. Each bag is priced $49.95, which is a $24.95 premium above the face value of the product.
The two-roll set contains 80 quarters. One roll consists of Chickasaw quarters from Philadelphia and the other roll is from Denver. The United States Mint has the two-roll set priced at $39.95, or $19.95 above its face value.
The 2011 Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter rolls and bags may be ordered directly from the United States Mint website (http://www.usmint.gov/), or its toll free number 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). The standard $4.95 shipping and handling fee applies to all domestic orders.
It should be noted, the Federal Reserve Bank also released the Chickasaw quarter for public distribution among various financial institutions. It could take some time for certain local banks to acquire the latest strikes, however, as banks place orders by coin denomination and not design when ordering from the Federal Reserve.
Next on the Mint’s agenda is the public coin forum that it is hosting at the Travertine Nature Center Auditorium in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area on Tuesday night, November 15. The forum is free and will start at 7 PM Central Time. It is an opportunity for Oklahomans and visitors to meet and greet United States Mint officials as well as ask questions regarding U.S. coinage.
Finally, the United States Mint and the National Park Service are ceremoniously launching the Chickasaw quarter on Wednesday, November 16, 2011, at Flower Park in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area.
The ceremony will kick off at 11 AM and will last approximately 30 minutes. Speakers will include B.B. Craig, Associate Director of Sales and Marketing for the United States Mint, and Bruce Noble, Superintendent of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Also on hand will be Dr. Amanda Cobb-Greetham, Administrator of the Chickasaw Nation History and Culture, and Wes Hilliard, State Representative for Oklahoma.
The free event will conclude with a coin exchange where adults can trade cash for $10 coin rolls containing the new Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter. Children 18 years old and younger in attendance will receive a free Chickasaw quarter from ceremony officials to commemorate the event.
The Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarters are the fifth design in 2011 and the tenth overall in the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. The series will last through 2021 after 56 national parks or sites, one for each state, U.S. territory, and D.C., have been honored. Their release will be in the order that each area was first established as a national site.
For information on other releases this year, check out the 2011 quarters page.