The final numismatic set from the United States Mint featuring Chickasaw quarters has finally hit the market. On Tuesday, December 20, 2011, the U.S. Mint launched the Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarters Three Coin Set for $14.95.
Being the tenth issue in the America the Beautiful Quarters® series and the fifth for 2011, the three coin set was preceded by national park quarters in 2010 for Hot Springs, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Mount Hood and in 2011 by Gettysburg, Glacier, Olympic, and Vicksburg. The Chickasaw quarter entered circulation on November 14, 2011 and started being sold by the United States Mint in bags and rolls the same day.
Finding two quality uncirculated strikes is less expensive via the Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarters Three Coin Set. The quarter dollars could also be pulled out of the 2011 Mint Set which includes collector versions of all the 2011-dated coins, but that sets costs $31.95.
The three coin set offers one proof strike and two uncirculated strikes. Each come from one of the three United States Mint facilities in Philadelphia (P), Denver (D), and San Francisco (S). The corresponding mint marks on their obverse designate their respective origin. More explicitly, the set contains:
- 2011-P Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter (Uncirculated)
- 2011-D Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter (Uncirculated)
- 2011-S Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter (Proof)
The packaging for these three national quarters is simple. They are mounted on a durable plastic card with a brief narrative of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area and a description of the coin’s design. On the back of the card is the official Certificate of Authenticity by the United States Mint.
Donna Weaver designed the Chickasaw quarter’s reverse. It depicts the Lincoln Bridge that was made of limestone and dedicated in 1909 to mark the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. It is located in the Platt Historic District of the area. Inscriptions are CHICKASAW, OKLAHOMA, 2011 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
Like all the other quarter dollars since 1932, the obverse on the Chickasaw quarter is the familiar portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan. The U.S. Mint restored the image to bring out the details of Flanagan’s original model. Inscriptions include UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
The Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarters Three Coin Set is available from the United States Mint online store at http://catalog.U.S.mint.gov/ and toll-free at 1-800-U.S.A-MINT (872-6468). The standard $4.95 shipping and handling fee applies to all domestic orders.
In addition, the set is part of the Mint’s Online Subscription Program. The program is designed to make it easy for collectors to purchase and receive future issues in the series. More information on this program is detailed on the U.S. Mint website. (Next up in the in the America the Beautiful Quarters series are the 2012 issues. The first set will feature the El Yunque National Forest Quarter on February 7, 2012. The dates for the Chaco Culture National Historical Park Quarter Set, the Acadia National Park Quarter Set, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Quarter Set and the Denali National Park and Preserve Quarter Set have not yet been announced.)
To make it easier for collectors to acquire the Chickasaw quarters in the quality and composition desired, the U.S. Mint has issued these quarters in a variety of products, as the following list illustrates.
- 2011 Proof Set – January 11
- 2011 Silver Proof Set – January 25
- 2011 Uncirculated Mint Set – February 8
- 2011 America the Beautiful Quarters Proof Set – March 17
- 2011 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set – April 1
- 2011 America the Beautiful Quarters Uncirculated Coin Set – April 19
- Chickasaw bags and rolls – November 14
- 2011 America the Beautiful Quarters Circulating Coin Set – November 22
- 2011 Chickasaw National Park Quarter Three Coin Set – December 20
There are also two different five-ounce silver coins this year featuring Chickasaw. They include the investor-grade Chickasaw National Recreation Area 5 oz Silver Bullion Coin that the U.S. Mint started selling to its network of Authorized Purchasers in July and the collector Chickasaw National Military Park 5 oz Silver Uncirculated Coin, whose release date is currently scheduled for February 9, 2012. Both coins contain .999 fine silver and have 3.0-inch diameters.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area (http://www.nps.gov/chic/index.htm) is located in Oklahoma and drew over 1.2 million visitors in 2010. The park offers a wide range of outdoor activities, such as swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, observing nature, hunting, camping, and picnicking.