GARAPAN, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—United States Mint (Mint) Director David J. Ryder joined citizens of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) today to launch the new America the Beautiful Quarters® Program Coin honoring American Memorial Park.
The 133-acre park is a tribute to the thousands of American and Marianas people who perished during the Marianas Campaign of World War II. Three distinct locations within the park pay tribute to the lives lost: the Memorial Court of Honor and Flag Circle, the Marianas Memorial (dedicated to the indigenous people who died), and the carillon.
The reverse (tails) design of the quarter honoring the site depicts a young woman in traditional attire at a front of the Flag Circle and Court of Honor. She is resting her hand on a plaque containing text that honors the sacrifice of those who died in the Marianas Campaign of World War II. Inscriptions on the quarter are “AMERICAN MEMORIAL PARK,” “N. MARIANA ISLANDS,” “2019,” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
Director Ryder noted the significance of the American Memorial Park quarter design in his remarks to the crowd. “The American liberation of the Northern Mariana Islands hastened the end of the war, but came at a price of thousands of casualties,” Director Ryder remarked. “May this quarter stand as a tribute to the memories this park preserves.”
CNMI Governor Ralph Torres, Lieutenant Governor Arnold Palacios, and park superintendent Barbara Alberti joined Mr. Ryder to celebrate the new quarter. Event highlights included the Mint’s customary coin forum the evening before the ceremony and coin exchange following the ceremony.
The United States Mint is offering products featuring the American Memorial Park quarter at its online catalog at https://catalog.usmint.gov/coin-programs/america-the-beautiful-quarters-program/. These products may also be purchased by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
The American Memorial Park quarter is the 47th release in the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters® Program, a 12-year initiative authorized by Public Law 110-456 to honor 56 national parks and other national sites. Each year for the duration of the program, the public will see five additional national sites depicted on the reverses of the America the Beautiful Quarters coins. The final coin will be issued at the end of the program in 2021. The Mint issues these quarters in the order in which the honored sites were first established as national sites.
About the United States Mint
Congress created the United States Mint in 1792, and the Mint became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. As the Nation’s sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage, the Mint is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint also produces numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; silver and bronze medals; and silver and gold bullion coins. Its numismatic programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to taxpayers.