BAR HARBOR, Maine — The United States Mint, represented by Associate Director for Sales and Marketing B. B. Craig, and the National Park Service, represented by Acadia National Park Superintendent Sheridan Steele, today launched the quarter–dollar honoring Maine’s Acadia National Park. The coin is the 13th released in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, the United States Mint’s 12–year initiative to honor 56 national parks and other national sites.
“Awed by its beauty and diversity, early 20th century visionaries donated land on the rugged Atlantic coast of Maine to create Acadia National Park, the first national park east of the Mississippi River,” Craig told the crowd. “The new quarter design captures the dramatic sweep from the rocky coastline to the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse and illustrates the reason Acadia National Park was selected for the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.”
Timothy Harrison, founder of the American Lighthouse Foundation, was guest speaker for the event, with WCSH–TV meteorologist Steve McKay serving as master of ceremonies. Following the ceremony, attendees exchanged their paper currency for rolls of the new coin. Craig hosted a coin forum the evening before the launch, where he answered questions and shared information about United States Mint coin programs and initiatives.
The Acadia National Park quarters were released into circulation by the Federal Reserve Banks on June 11, 2012. The coin’s reverse (tails side) design depicts a view of the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse and Acadia’s rough coastline. Inscriptions are ACADIA, MAINE, 2012 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
The coin’s obverse (heads side) design features the 1932 portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan, restored to bring out subtle details and the beauty of the original model. Inscriptions on the obverse are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
Each year through 2020, the public will see five new quarters, each with a unique design representative of an honored national site depicted on the reverse. The 56th and final coin is scheduled for release in 2021. The United States Mint is issuing these quarters in the order in which the honored site was first established as a national site.
The United States Mint was created by Congress in 1792. This year marks the bureau’s 220th anniversary. The United States Mint is the Nation’s sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage and is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The United States Mint also produces proof, uncirculated and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; and silver, gold and platinum bullion coins.