HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — United States Mint Director Ed Moy launched the quarter–dollar coin honoring Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas with a special ceremony today, the 178th anniversary of its establishment as a Federally protected national site. This is the first coin released in the America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program. Director Moy was joined by National Park Service Midwest Regional Director Ernie Quintana and Hot Springs National Park Superintendent Josie Fernandez.
“With the launch of the Hot Springs National Park Quarter, a uniquely American journey begins, a journey through coins in celebration of the beauty, history and impact of national sites in every state and territory,” Director Moy said.
Following the ceremony, several hundred school children in the audience received a shiny new Hot Springs National Park quarter to commemorate the event, while other attendees exchanged their paper currency for rolls of the new coin. Moy 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 United States Mint’s new America the Beautiful Quarters Program is a 12–year initiative to honor 56 national parks and other national sites. Coins bearing the new Hot Springs National Park design were released into circulation by the Federal Reserve Bank on April 19. The reverse (tails side) design depicts the façade of the Hot Springs National Park headquarters building with a thermal spring fountain in the foreground. The headquarters was built in the Spanish colonial revival style and completed in 1936. The National Park Service emblem is featured to the right of the door. Inscriptions on the reverse are HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The obverse (heads side) design features the 1932 portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan, which has been 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.
Digital images of the Hot Springs National Park quarter are available at: http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/?action=Photo#AmericaTheBeautiful.
The America the Beautiful Quarters Program is authorized by Public Law 110–456. Each year, the public will see five new national sites depicted on the reverse of the quarters. The United States Mint will issue these quarters in the order in which the honored site was first established as a national site.
“It’s fitting that Hot Springs National Park, among the early lands set aside by the federal government to protect natural and cultural resources, be the first featured in the United States Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters series,” Quintana said. “The release of this commemorative coin will bring about greater awareness of our national parks and emphasize the importance of continued protection and preservation of these natural, cultural and historical wonders for future generations.”
On April 13, 2010, the United States Mint unveiled several new lesson plans based on the America the Beautiful Quarters Program. Created and reviewed by teachers to meet national curricular standards, the plans draw on the new quarter reverse designs to inspire students to learn about the culture, geography, and unique heritage and natural beauty of our national parks and sites. For more information about America the Beautiful Quarters Program educational resources, please visit http://www.usmint.gov/?action=educators.
The United States Mint, created by Congress in 1792, is the Nation’s sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage. Its primary mission is to produce an adequate volume of 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.
For more information on the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, please visit http://www.americathebeautifulquarters.gov/.
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