Designs for the national sites and national parks honored on the 2015 America the Beautiful Quarters have been published by the United States Mint.
A total of 44 different design candidates were created by artists and chosen for review for the 2015 America the Beautiful Quarters. Just five of those will be selected, possibly slightly modified, and then included on the quarter-dollars. Images of all 44 quarter designs are below. When the final five are selected, this article will get updated.
The national site and national park quarters scheduled to appear in 2015 (and the state they represent) are:
- 2015 Homestead National Monument of America Quarter – Nebraska
- 2015 Kisatchie National Forest Quarter – Louisiana
- 2015 Blue Ridge Parkway Quarter – North Carolina
- 2015 Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Quarter – Delaware
- 2015 Saratoga National Historical Park Quarter – New York
Before any design is struck to a coin, it must go through a selection process. That process includes a review by the Secretary of the Interior, the chief executive of the state where the site is located, the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). Their commentary may lead to some adjustments to specific designs as a means to address any issues.
Then, U.S. Mint officials will make a final recommendation to the Secretary of the Treasury. That person is charged with the task of selecting the image to be used on each new quarter.
If past years are any indicator, the process will not be a fast one at least from a public perspective. These 44 design candidates will be reviewed over the next several weeks by the aforementioned individuals and groups. The minutes of the CFA and CCAC meetings will be published, but the final selection will likely not be known until near the end of 2014.
Shown below are images of the design candidates for the five 2015 quarters.
Homestead National Monument of America Quarter Designs
A total of twelve different design candidates were offered for the Homestead National Monument of America of Nebraska quarter.
Kisatchie National Forest Quarter Design Candidates
Eight design candidates were submitted for the Kisatchie National Forest of Louisiana quarter dollar.
Blue Ridge Parkway Quarter Designs
The Blue Ridge Parkway of North Carolina saw six different design candidates created for review.
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Quarter Designs
For the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge of Delaware quarter, eight design candidates were published for comment.
Saratoga National Historical Park Quarter Designs
Ten unique design candidates are available for the Saratoga National Historical Park of New York quarter.
The America the Beautiful Quarters® Program launched in 2010. Five new park quarters are issued annually as part of it, each honoring a different site of national interest. One site was chosen from each state, the District of Columbia and the five US Territories to be included in the series. When completed in 2021, a total of fifty-six new quarter dollars will have been released in the program.