The third United States Mint quarter release in 2017 features a reverse design celebrating Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri. It is the 38th issue from the U.S. Mint’s series of America the Beautiful Quarters®, a 56-coin program that runs until 2021.
Here are some important dates and events for Missouri’s Ozark Riverways quarter:
- a U.S. Mint coin forum on the evening prior to the quarter’s official release, held at 6:00 p.m. CT on June 4, 2017 at Echo Bluff State Park (Nixon Room, 34489 Echo Bluff Drive, Eminence, MO 65466);
- its release into general circulation on June 5, 2017;
- its availability in U.S. Mint-branded rolls and bags at www.usmint.gov, also on June 5, 2017; and
- its official launch ceremony by the U.S. Mint and the National Park Service at Alley Spring and Mill (State Route 106, Eminence, MO 65466) on June 5, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. CT.
Coin forums offer the public a chance to talk to U.S. Mint officials about current and upcoming products. Quarter ceremonies and coin forums are open to the public and free.
Coin Exchanges and Getting New Quarters
Coin exchanges are also offered immediately after launch ceremonies. They offer an opportunity to swap cash for $10 rolls of the newly released quarter. Security Bank of the Ozarks will sponsor the exchange for new Ozark Riverways quarters.
It is usually difficult to find new park quarters, sometimes taking months to years for them to appear regularly in change. Easier methods of getting them include coin exchanges and buying them straight from the U.S. Mint (www.usmint.gov) when they are released.
Designs on Ozark National Scenic Riverways Quarter
Nine reverse candidates for the quarter were developed by the U.S. Mint in consultation with representatives of Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury selected the final design after the Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee reviewed the candidates and offered their recommendations.
Created by Renata Gordon and sculpted by Ron Sanders, the selected design depicts Alley Mill, a steel roller mill built in 1894 to convert wheat into flour. The mill is a popular tourist destination with much of the original equipment still in place. Surrounding the design are inscriptions reading "OZARK RIVERWAYS," "MISSOURI," "2017," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
All quarter obverses (heads) share a common portrait of George Washington as created by John Flanagan.
Both obverse and reverse designs are also on a series of U.S. Mint bullion and collector 3-inch diameter, 5-ounce silver coins.
The other 2017 quarters commemorate:
- Effigy Mounds National Monument (Iowa),
- Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (Washington, D.C.),
- Ellis Island (Statue of Liberty National Monument) (New Jersey), and
- George Rogers Clark National Historical Park (Indiana).
Information About Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Ozark National Scenic Riverways of Missouri is the first national site to protect a river system. This system consists of the Current and Jacks Fork rivers, which are two of the clearest rivers in the world.
The park is over 80,000 acres in size and offers a vast number of outdoor activities, such as canoeing, hiking, and fishing. There are also caves in the area that visitors can explore.
Although there are over a million visitors per year, many believe the national park is a state park. In 1967, the three major camp grounds that were run by the state were handed over to the national government. This change causes some confusion to this day.