White Mountain National Forest Quarter

The first coin in the 2013 releases of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program will be the 2013 White Mountain National Forest Quarter honoring the forest in New Hampshire.  It also marks the sixteenth quarter overall issued in the series since it first began in 2010.

By early 2012 , the Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee and the United States Commission of Fine Arts should have reviewed several design candidates submitted to them from the US Mint for the reverse of the White Mountain National Forest Quarter.  Their recommendations will be likely be added to those of the governor of New Hampshire and the Secretary of Interior before a final design is chosen by the Treasury Secretary.  This design selection should be released sometime near the end of 2012 by the US Mint.

That reverse design will be joined by a common obverse of George Washington as dictated by the program’s authorizing legislation. The image of the first President of the United States is included on all of the America the Beautiful Quarters and was designed by John Flanagan.

Then, sometime in the first quarter of 2013, the White Mountain National Forest Quarter should be released.  It will be followed by four other quarters, including the Ohio Perry Victory and International Peace Memorial Quarter, the Nevada Great Basin National Park Quarter, the Maryland Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Quarter and the South Dakota Mount Rushmore National Memorial Quarter.


 

White Mountain National Forest information

White Mountain National Forest was established in 1918, and mostly lies in the state of New Hampshire, with a small portion found in Maine.  It contains almost 800,000 acres of land and is one of the most visited national forests in the country as it is within driving distance of many of the major cities on the east coast.

This national forest is also home to a 100 mile stretch of the Appalachian Trial, and offers other recreational activities like camping and skiing.  With the multitude of activities, and its close location to over 60 million people it is no wonder why White Mountain National Forest has around 6 million visitors per year.

Also located in White Mountain National Forest are five federally protected wilderness areas.  These areas are protected from a majority of the logging and other commercial activities, but are still open for visitation and recreational use.  Mount Washington, the highest peak north of the Smoky Mountains and east of the Mississippi, can also be found in White Mountain National Forest.