The second United States Mint quarter for release in 2014 is the Shenandoah National Park Quarter. This strike honors the national park in Virginia and represents the twenty-second coin from the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. Its circulation release date is March 31, 2014.
March 31st is also when the U.S. Mint will offer single rolls, two-roll sets and bags of Shenandoah National Park Quarters via www.usmint.gov/catalog or by phone at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Available circulating-quality quarters will include those from the Denver Mint, Philadelphia Mint and San Francisco Mint with each having visible mint marks of ‘D’, ‘P’ or ‘S’.
Shenandoah National Park Quarters found in eventual pocket change will come only from Philadelphia or Denver, the two plants responsible for striking all American coinage for commerce. The U.S. Mint added circulating-quality San Francisco-struck quarters in 2012 as an option for coin collectors.
Local banks cannot order coins by a certain design, which is why it can take a very long time for new quarters to reach certain areas of the country. Ordering national park quarters straight from the Mint has been an option many collectors take so they can get them quickly and in good quality. The U.S. Mint also sells special proof and uncirculated versions of the quarter within sets that launch throughout the year.
Design selections for the five 2014 National Park Quarters were announced by the United States Mint in December 2013. That happened after the Treasury Secretary chose them from many design candidates. He did so based on recommendations from representatives of the site honored, the U.S. Mint, the United States Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee.
Shown on the reverse (tails side) of the Shenandoah National Park Quarters is a design depicting a day hiker taking in the view from Little Stony Man summit. Inscriptions around the scene read: SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIA, 2014 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. Phebe Hemphill designed and sculpted the image.
The Shenandoah National Park Quarter follows the Great Smoky Mountains Quarter, and will itself be followed by three more quarters in 2013 — the Arches National Park Quarter, the Great Sand Dunes National Park Quarter and the Everglades National Park Quarter.
Congress authorized the series as part of the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 23, 2008 as Public Law 110-456. In eleven years, there will be a total of 56 strikes minted in the program.
Shenandoah National Park information
Shenandoah National Park of Virginia was established in 1935. It was not easy to establish this national park as several homes and communities had to be relocated or removed entirely.
Skyline Drive, hiking and other sightseeing activities help Shenandoah National Park thrive. Visitors can drive at a cozy speed of 35 mph along Skyline Drive and stop at several points to sightsee. There are over 500 miles of hikeable trails, and several waterfalls for visitors to see.
Most visitors to Shenandoah National Park arrive in the fall to see the changing of the leaves in the forest. Others come during all times of the year to stay at several of the lodges and cabins within the park.