WASHINGTON — The United States Mint (Mint) today announced the five new reverse (tails side) designs that will appear on the 2015 coins released in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.
The coin designs honor Homestead National Monument of America (Neb.), Kisatchie National Forest (La.), Blue Ridge Parkway (N.C.), Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge (Del.), and Saratoga National Historical Park (N.Y.).
Homestead National Monument of America
This design represents the three fundamentals of survival common to all homesteaders: food, shelter, and water. Inscriptions are HOMESTEAD, NEBRASKA, 2015, and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The reverse was designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) artist Ronald D. Sanders and will be sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor–Engraver Jim Licaretz.
Kisatchie National Forest
This design features a wild turkey in flight over blue stem grass with long leaf pine in the background. Inscriptions are KISATCHIE, LOUISIANA, 2015, and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The reverse was designed by AIP artist Susan Gamble and will be sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor–Engraver Joseph Menna.
Blue Ridge Parkway
This design depicts the grace and curvature of the road hugging the side of a mountain, with the North Carolina state flower in the foreground. Inscriptions are BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY, NORTH CAROLINA, 2015, and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The reverse was designed by AIP artist Frank Morris and will be sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor–Engraver Joseph Menna.
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
This design features a great blue heron in the foreground and a great egret in the background. Inscriptions are BOMBAY HOOK, DELAWARE, 2015, and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The reverse was designed by AIP artist Joel Iskowitz and will be sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor–Engraver Phebe Hemphill.
Saratoga National Historical Park
This design is a close–up of the moment General John Burgoyne surrendered his sword to General Horatio Gates, a pivotal moment many believe marked the ‘beginning of the end of the American Revolutionary War.’ Inscriptions are BRITISH SURRENDER 1777, SARATOGA, NEW YORK, 2015, and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The reverse was designed by AIP artist Barbara Fox and will be sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor–Engraver Renata Gordon.
The obverse (heads side) of the coins will continue to feature the familiar 1932 portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan. Required inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and QUARTER DOLLAR.
The United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Program is authorized by the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 (Act) (Public Law 110–456). The Act directs the bureau to design, mint, and issue quarter–dollar coins emblematic of a national park or other national site in each state, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories. In accordance with the Act, the Mint is issuing the new quarters at the rate of five per year until 2020 in the order in which each honored site was first established as a national site. The final coin will be released in 2021.
About the United States Mint
The United States Mint was created by Congress in 1792 and became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. It 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 numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; and silver and gold bullion coins. The United States Mint’s numismatic programs are self–sustaining and operate at no cost to the taxpayer.