America the Beautiful Quarters® Program

Former Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner selected the list of sites to be honored after consulting with the governor or other chief executive of each host jurisdiction and former Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar, in accordance with America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008.

The national site quarter-dollars were issued at a rate of five new designs each year in the order in which the selected sites were first established as a national site.

Site Selection & Design Criteria

The America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Series Act of 2008 provides for designs to be submitted in accordance with the design selection and approval process developed by, and in sole discretion of, the Secretary of the Treasury.

The designs on the coins issued during this program were emblematic of one national site in each host jurisdiction (State/District of Columbia/Territory). The program honored the national park or other national site in each host jurisdiction deemed most appropriate in terms of natural or historic significance.

Standards

• Selected sites must be ones that can reasonably be expected to translate into dignified designs of which the citizens of the United States can be proud (for example, must be distinctive and readily recognizable as honoring that site).
• Selected sites must be ones that can reasonably be expected to translate into designs that are neither frivolous nor inappropriate. Inappropriate designs include, but are not limited to, those bearing logos or depictions of specific commercial, private, educational, civic, religious, sports, or other organizations whose membership or ownership is not universal.
• Designs must not include any head-and-shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, nor can designs include a portrait of a living person. Designs must not include an outline or map of a host jurisdiction.
• Designs can be based on the same theme as used in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program, or the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Quarters Program, but cannot be the same design.

Site Selection Process 

1. The United States Mint will initiate the site selection process by contacting the chief executive of each host jurisdiction (State/District of Columbia/Territory) through a formal letter of request to identify one preferred and three ranked alternative national sites in his or her jurisdiction. The United States Mint will provide resources and access to lists of applicable national sites to each chief executive. National sites for consideration include any site under the supervision, management, or conservancy of the National Park Service, the United States Forest Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or any similar department or agency of the Federal government.
2. With due consideration to the requirement that the national site chosen for each host jurisdiction shall be the most appropriate in terms of natural and historic significance, and after giving full and thoughtful consideration to national sites that are not under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior, the chief executive will provide the United States Mint his or her recommendation for the national site to be honored on the respective quarter, as well as three recommended alternative national sites in order of preference.
3. The United States Mint will review all the recommendations and will establish a candidate list of the 56 national sites.
4. The United States Mint will consult with the Secretary of the Interior to ensure appropriateness of each of the 56 national site recommendations based on their natural or historic significance, and to validate the date on which each recommended site was established as a national site.
5. Having consulted with each chief executive and the Secretary of the Interior, and having giving full and thoughtful consideration to national sites that are not under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior, the United States Mint will reconcile all comments and recommend a final candidate list determined to be the most appropriate in terms of natural and historic significance to the Secretary of the Treasury, who will approve the final national site list. The approved list will also establish the order in which each quarter-dollar is released. Quarter-dollars will be released at a rate of five per year beginning in 2010.

The America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 authorized the production of five ounce, .999 fine silver bullion coins replicating each of the designs featured on the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters. The bullion coins are three inches in diameter and have a nominal face value of 25 cents. These are the first five ounce, three inch, .999 fine silver bullion coins ever produced by the United States Mint. The fineness and weight are edge-incused on the coins.

These unique silver bullion coins feature reverse designs depicting national parks and other national sites in each state, District of Columbia and five U.S. territories — Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands. The coins were issued in the order in which the featured site was first established as a national park or site.

America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins are investment-grade silver bullion coins. Their weight, content and purity are guaranteed by the U.S. government.

The coins, with their unique U.S. government backing, may be sold for cash at many coin and precious metals dealers. They are also legal tender. Their quarter-dollar face value is symbolic, because silver’s market price has historically been much higher.

America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins sold at prevailing silver market prices, plus a moderate premium to cover production and other costs. Silver is typically the lowest-priced precious metal, making these bullion coins an affordable choice for most investors.

America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins™ for Collectors

The collector (“numismatic”) version of the bullion coin was produced with an uncirculated finish. It has the “P” mint mark for the United States Mint at Philadelphia. The coin was encapsulated in plastic, accompanied by a presentation case and Certificate of Authenticity, and was produced in limited quantities.