Saratoga National Historical Park in New York is the fifth and last site honored in 2015 with a unique quarter design. It marks the 30th release from the United States Mint’s series of America the Beautiful Quarters, a program that started in 2010 and will commemorate 56 different national sites by its scheduled completion in 2021.
Several important dates for New York’s 2015 Saratoga Quarter include:
- its release into general circulation on Nov. 16, 2015;
- its official launch ceremony by the U.S. Mint and the National Park Service on Nov. 17, 2015; and
- its release in U.S. Mint-branded rolls and bags at www.usmint.gov on Nov. 30, 2015.
As part of the U.S. Mint’s program, five quarters are issued annually. Their obverse or heads sides are common, sharing John Flanagan’s portrait of George Washington. The other side always has a unique design emblematic of the national park or national site commemorated.
Designed by Barbara Fox and sculpted by Renata Gordon, the reverse side of the Saratoga Quarter depicts a close-up of the moment General John Burgoyne surrendered his sword to General Horatio Gates, a turning point that marked the beginning of the end of the American Revolutionary War.
This image was selected from among 10 design candidates, reviewed by Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee and the United States Commission of Fine Arts and eventually chosen by the Secretary of the Treasury. Around the scene are inscriptions reading, SARATOGA, NEW YORK, E PLURIBUS UNUM and 2015.
As the last quarter released in 2015, four others preceded it. These are the Homestead National Monument Quarter for Nebraska, the Kisatchie National Forest Quarter for Louisiana, the Blue Ridge Parkway Quarter for North Carolina, and the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Quarter for Delaware.
Saratoga National Historical Park Information
Saratoga National Historical Park of New York is best known for its important battle during the American Revolutionary War. The Battle of Saratoga is where American forces defeated British forces for the first time in the war for American independence.
Much of the war up to the battle had not been going well for the United States. The British army was attempting to divide the colonies when the Battle of Saratoga erupted. The eventual defeat of these forces helped the United States gain an ally in France.
Around 100,000 visitors come to the Saratoga National Historical Park each year. There are several sites available to tour, and the Visitor’s Center runs a movie about the battle.