The CCAC is tasked with reviewing all US coin designs and themes, and then forwarding their recommendations to the US Mint Director and Secretary of the Treasury, who will make the final selections for all the commemoratives in the America the Beautiful Program, which honors national parks and other national sites through to 2021.

The 2011 quarters will feature Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, Glacier National Park in Montana, Olympic National Park in Washington, Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi, and Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma.

The US Mint has created several proposals in line art form for each, and will solicit comments for suggestions and changes at the meeting. The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) will eventually host a similar meeting for the same purpose.

For those wondering about the five quarters for this year, the 2010 park quarter candidate designs have already been reviewed by all of the required parties. The US Mint is expected to hold a ceremonial unveiling of the final designs in February. (See the article on our parent CoinNews.net site: 2010 America the Beautiful Quarter Designs Nearing Release.)

This year’s quarters feature Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Yosemite National Park in California, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon.

The CCAC meeting is scheduled to start at 9 AM and last until 11:30 AM ET. It will occur at:

United States Mint Headquarters
801 9th St. NW
5th Floor, North Conference Room
Washington, D.C.  20220

The new quarter-dollar program encompasses a total of 56 new quarters that will run from 2010 through 2021. At a rate of 5 per year, a new quarter will be issued featuring a reverse design emblematic of a National Park or National Site from each state as well as Washington D.C. and the U.S. territories — Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands.

Although there were hopes by some that Theodore Roosevelt, who had a passion and crusaded for conservation and national sites, would adorn the obverse or heads side of each quarter, an enhanced portrait of George Washington will continued to be used.

The United States Mint’s process for creating the new quarter-dollars includes the production of several candidate designs featuring themes for the selected national park or site. These are then submitted to the Secretary of the Interior, the chief executive of the host jurisdiction (State/District of Columbia/Territory), the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) for review and comment.

The candidates for the 2010 National Park Quarter Designs have already passed this step, and are at the next phase where the U.S. Mint Director makes the final recommendations to the Secretary of Treasury, who is tasked by the America’s Beautiful National Park Quarters Dollar Coin Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-456) to make the final design selections.

The following includes the park and site quarter candidate designs, in line art form, along with the recommendations made by the CFA and CCAC.

2010 Hot Springs National Park Quarter

Hot Springs Park Quarter Design AR-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Hot Springs Park Quarter Design AR-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Hot Springs Park Quarter Design AR-03 (Click to Enlarge)

Hot Springs Park Quarter Design AR-04 (Click to Enlarge)

For the coin portraying Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, the CCAC preferred quarter design candidate AR-04 which depicts the doorway of the main park’s building with a fountain in front of it. CCAC members "appreciated the design’s clear imagery, emphasis on water, and incorporation of natural landscape."

The CFA preferred AR-02 which features the doorway of the park’s main building from the 1930s. Members commented on the "simplicity of this design," although they questioned the quality of the drawings they had to review. Members also suggested that the small National Park Service sign to the right of the door be eliminated, believing it would be too small to make out at the scale of the quarter.

2010 Yellowstone National Park Quarter

Yellowstone Park Quarter Design WY-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Yellowstone Park Quarter Design WY-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Yellowstone Park Quarter Design WY-03 (Click to Enlarge)

For the coin portraying Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, the CCAC "strongly" preferred quarter design candidate WY-01. The design depicts a bison or buffalo in front of Old Faithful.

The CFA, on the other hand, disliked all of the designs due to their "poor quality" and selected none. Members approved of featuring Old Faithful, but suggest another depiction.

2010 Yosemite National Park Quarter

Yosemite Park Quarter Design CA-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Yosemite Park Quarter Design CA-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Yosemite Park Quarter Design CA-03 (Click to Enlarge)

Yosemite Park Quarter Design CA-04 (Click to Enlarge)

For the coin portraying Yosemite National Park in California, the CCAC liked quarter design candidate CA-03 which features a view of El Capitan. Committee members "praised the simplicity and ruggedness of the design, and its effective composition."

The CFA selected candidate CA-04, which depicts the Half Dome rock formation. However, members felt more work needed to be done with the artful to give it a more finished look. They recommenced the use of other sources to help in making refinements, like the photographs of Ansel Adams.

2010 Grand Canyon National Park Quarter

Grand Canyon Park Quarter Design AZ-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Grand Canyon Park Quarter Design AZ-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Grand Canyon Park Quarter Design AZ-03 (Click to Enlarge)

Grand Canyon Park Quarter Design AZ-04 (Click to Enlarge)

For the coin portraying Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, the recommended design from both the CCAC and CFA was AZ-01 which features an aerial view of the canyon. The CCAC commented that it, and AZ-04 were "powerful images." They chose the first design for scaling reasons. The CFA had the following to say in a letter to US Mint Director Ed Moy:

"The Commission recommended alternative #1, due the depth of the perspective view, but suggested several modifications. Noting that the foreground scree is given too much dominance in the composition, the Commission members recommended shifting the strong vertical alignment at the center of the coin to the right to emphasize the deep perspective toward the left side of the composition."

2010 Mount Hood National Forest Quarter

Mount Hood Forest Site Quarter Design OR-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Mount Hood Forest Site Quarter Design OR-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Mount Hood Forest Site Quarter Design OR-03 (Click to Enlarge)

Mount Hood Site Forest Quarter Design OR-04 (Click to Enlarge)

For the coin portraying Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon, the CCAC and CFA again agreed on a common design. Chosen was OR-03 which depicts Lost Lake in front of Mount Hood. The CCAC like its "imagery, and for the absence of design elements that would detract from the view of the mountain" while the CFA chose it for its " superior composition and simplicity of elements."

Containing five new designs annually for the length of the 11-year series, the US Mint will be issuing many related products as a result of the program throughout the course of each year. Those familiar with the 50-State Quarter Program and its follow-up DC and Territories Program will recognize most of the options.

According to the Mint, the five new quarters to be issued in 2010 have the following anticipated release months:

• April – Hot Springs Park Quarter

• June – Yellowstone Park Quarter

• July/August – Yosemite Park Quarter

• September – Grand Canyon Park Quarter

• November – Mount Hood National Forest Site Quarter

In doing a bit of analysis on the preliminary product schedule from the Mint, we can also determine when most of the related national park quarter products will be available, how much they will cost and what they will include:

• May – 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Proof Set, $14.95- This set contains clad (91.67 percent copper, 8.33 percent nickel) versions of each of the five park quarter designs struck to a proof finish so they will have a mirror-like surface and brilliant detail. Each coin will bear the ‘S’ mintmark as the proof set is made at the Mint’s facility in San Francisco.

• May/June – 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set, $29.95- This set is similar to the normal quarters proof set except that each coin is struck from 90% silver and 10% copper.

• Following each design release – 2010 America the Beautiful Quarter Two-Roll Sets, $32.95 – This set includes two-rolls of circulation quality park quarters, each containing 40 coins. One roll is filled with quarters struck at the Denver Mint and one roll is filled with quarters struck at the Philadelphia Mint.

• Following each design release – 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters 100-Coin Bags, $32.95 individually or $65.90 for a set. These bags contain 100 circulation quality quarters struck at either Denver or Philadelphia for $32.95. The P&D set includes one bag from both Mints and sells for $65.90.

• July/August – United States Mint Proof Set®, $29.95 – This 14-coin set contains clad proof issues struck at the San Francisco Mint. Included in the set are the four Presidential $1 coins, the 2010 Native American $1 coin, the Kennedy half-dollar, the five 2010 quarters, the Roosevelt dime, the Jefferson nickel and the 2010 Lincoln cent.

• July – United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set®, $27.95 – Known to most as the Mint Set, it contains 14 coins from the Denver Mint and 14 coins from the Philadelphia Mint, each struck to uncirculated quality using burnished blanks resulting in a satin like finish.The 14 coins include everything from the dollar coins down to the newly designed 2010 Lincoln cent.

• August/September – United States Mint Silver Proof Set®, $52.95 – Just like the clad proof set except that several of the coins are struck from 90% silver and 10% copper rather than their typical clad composition. Those featured in silver are the five quarters, the half-dollar and the dime.

• Not listed – Several other related products will be issued throughout the year, but the Mint has not released any details yet. An example of this are the three-inch diameter America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins. Each contains five ounces of .999 fine silver, and replicates the design of the quarter.

As previously stated, most of these options are well-known to collectors, but that will not deter from their desirability. The 50-state quarter series proved to be in high demand and the America the Beautiful Quarters should see similar interest.

Check out the park quarter links above for the original designs for each coin, or also see 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Designs.

At a rate of 5 per year, a new quarter will be issued featuring a reverse design emblematic of a National Park or National Site from each state as well as Washington D.C. and the U.S. territories. After consulting with the executive in charge of each locality and with the Secretary of the Interior, the US Mint submitted a list of recommended sites to Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner who approved it on August 25, 2009. The order of issue for each coin will be determined by the date the site officially came under the control of the United States government.

As such, Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas will be the first coin in the new series. It was created as a reservation area in 1832 and renamed a National Park in 1922. The other coins due out in 2010 are Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Yosemite National Park in California, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon.

“These new quarters will honor some of our most revered, treasured and beautiful national sites — majestic and historic places located throughout the United States and its territories that truly make us ‘America the Beautiful,’” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy.

According to the Mint, the obverse (heads side) of these quarters will be a portrait of George Washington based on the historic image that first appeared on the quarter in 1932. The mint states that “subtle details and the beauty of the original model” will be seen in the William Cousins version that will be used (included design image shown above.) Cousins is no stranger to coin design, as his work has been seen on quarters since the 1999 launch of the 50 State Quarters® Program.

In addition to the quarter-dollar coins, the America’s Beautiful National Park Quarters Dollar Coin Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-156) that authorized them also calls for massive silver bullion coins to be released that are “exact duplicates of the quarter dollars.” These bullion strikes will be 3 inches in diameter and weigh 5 ounces. According to the law, each silver bullion coin will not be available until the quarter with the same design is issued.

Following is a complete list of the chosen sites to be featured in the America’s Beautiful National Park Quarters Program. Each entry shows the state, territory or district in which the site is located along with the year it came under federal control.

National Park & Site Quarter Release Schedule

2010

• Arkansas, Hot Springs National Park Quarter, 1832
• Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park Quarter, 1872
• California, Yosemite National Park Quarter, 1890
• Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park Quarter, 1893
• Oregon, Mt. Hood National Forest Site Quarter, 1893

2011

• Pennsylvania, Gettysburg National Military Park, 1895
• Montana, Glacier National Park Quarter, 1897
• Washington, Olympic National Park Quarter, 1897
• Mississippi, Vicksburg National Military Park Quarter, 1899
• Oklahoma, Chickasaw National Recreation Area Site Quarter, 1902

2012

• Puerto Rico, El Yunque National Forest Site Quarter, 1903
• New Mexico, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, 1907
• Maine, Acadia National Park Quarter, 1916
• Hawaii, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Quarter, 1916
• Alaska, Denali National Park Quarter, 1917

2013

• New Hampshire, White Mountain National Forest Site Quarter, 1918
• Ohio, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial Site Quarter, 1919
• Nevada, Great Basin National Park Quarter, 1922
• Maryland, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Site Quarter, 1925
• South Dakota, Mount Rushmore National Memorial Site Quarter, 1925

2014

• Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Quarter, 1926
• Virginia, Shenandoah National Park Quarter, 1926
• Utah, Arches National Park Quarter, 1929
• Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park Quarter, 1932
• Florida, Everglades National Park Quarter, 1934

2015

• Nebraska, Homestead National Monument of America Site Quarter, 1936
• Louisiana, Kisatchie National Forest Site Quarter, 1936
• North Carolina, Blue Ridge Parkway Site Quarter, 1936
• Delaware, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Site Quarter, 1937
• New York, Saratoga National Historical Park Quarter, 1938

2016

• Illinois, Shawnee National Forest Site Quarter, 1939
• Kentucky, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Quarter, 1940
• West Virginia, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Quarter, 1944
• North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park Quarter, 1946
• South Carolina, Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument) Site Quarter, 1948

2017

• Iowa, Effigy Mounds National Monument Site Quarter, 1949
• District of Columbia, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Quarter, 1962
• Missouri, Ozark National Scenic Riverways Site Quarter, 1964
• New Jersey, Ellis Island National Monument (Statue of Liberty) Site Quarter, 1965
• Indiana, George Rogers Clark National Historical Park Quarter, 1966

2018

• Michigan, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Site Quarter, 1966
• Wisconsin, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Site Quarter, 1970
• Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park Quarter, 1971
• Georgia, Cumberland Island National Seashore Site Quarter, 1972
• Rhode Island, Block Island National Wildlife Refuge Site Quarter, 1973

2019

• Massachusetts, Lowell National Historical Park Quarter, 1978
• Northern Mariana Islands, American Memorial Park Quarter, 1978
• Guam, War in the Pacific National Historical Park Quarter, 1978
• Texas, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Quarter, 1978
• Idaho, Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Site Quarter, 1980

2020

• American Samoa, National Park of American Samoa Quarter, 1988
• Connecticut, Weir Farm National Historic Site Quarter, 1990
• U.S. Virgin Islands, Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve Quarter, 1992
• Vermont, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Quarter, 1992
• Kansas, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Site Quarter, 1996

2021

• Alabama, Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Quarter, 1998

For more, also see America the Beautiful Quarters.

The United States Mint is scheduled to announce on Wednesday, Sept. 9, the list of 56 historic sites and parks to be commemorated on the new quarter-dollar series beginning in 2010. These National Parks Quarters will run for 11 years and feature one location from each state as well as the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories.

Authorized by the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-156), the coins will still apparently bear the likeness of George Washington on the obverse (heads side), as they have done since 1932. However, located on the reverse (tails side) will be a design emblematic of the chosen location.

The first site in the list and to be featured in the new series is already known. 2010 will kickoff with the Yellowstone National Park Quarter.

"As the nation’s first national park, it is only fitting that Yellowstone, as a part of Wyoming ’s unique heritage, is commemorated on the first quarter," Senator John Barrasso commented last year when the act passed in the U.S. House.

"Millions of people experience the pristine wilderness and rugged beauty of areas like Yellowstone National Park … The people of Wyoming are rightly proud of the many places that display our state’s unique heritage and natural beauty."

Yellowstone, primarily located in Wyoming, was established as the first national park with an act signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. The park is the home of the famous ‘Old Faithful’ Geyser — as well as many other geothermal features, wildlife and scenery, and encompasses an area of almost 3,500 square miles.

Rotating design on quarters started back in 1999 with the 50 State Quarter program which lasted until 2008. 2009 was the beginning for the D.C. and the U.S. Territories quarters. The newest quarter series will issued at a rate of five per year and with an order dictated by when a site officially became part of the national park or national historic site system.

Design concepts for the Yellowstone Park Quarter will be available by the Fall, and released by the US Mint.

Information about the National Park Quarters has been minimal, as should be expected for much of 2009 given the United States Mint will not begin issuing the quarters until 2010.

However, the first five quarter designs will be completed this year in preparation for their release next year. And the CCAC, which advises the Secretary of the Treasury on designs for coinage, has already made their first recommendation for the series.

The America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act (H.R.6184), which authorizes five quarters per year for at least the next eleven years, states each quarter design is to be “emblematic of a national park or other national site in each State, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the United States.”

With that, most collectors would probably expect the quarter’s reverse to take on a park theme and the obverse (heads side) to be the same as the 50 State quarters and the 2009 D.C. and U.S. Territories quarters. The CCAC recommendation has merit. Strong merit.

Theodore Roosevelt had a passion and crusaded for conservation and national sites. Roosevelt set a aside a massive amount of land, adding 42 million acres of national forests and over 50 national wildlife refuges — more than all of his predecessors combined.

Roosevelt’s image on commemorative park quarters makes more sense than any other president. Yet, replacing Washington who has been on quarters since 1932 is not an easy decision to make either.

The final decision will be made in the coming months.

H.R. 6184 passed in the U.S. House of Representatives July 9, 2008 and unpredictably gained approval in the lame duck session of the Senate on December 10, 2008. President Bush signed the act into law on December 23, 2008.

For the Numismatic News article, read CCAC picks favorites.

[Editor's update: Roosevelt's image will not be placed on the obverse of the new quarters. For an interesting perspective on the top, read: America the Beautiful Quarters, CCAC Dropped the Ball.]

With the conclusion of the highly successful 50 State Quarters® Program this year and the six-quarter DC and US Territories program beginning and ending in 2009, the quarter-dollar was set to revert to a static design in 2010.

No longer. The year will now mark the launch of a new series of coins to "provide for a program for circulating quarter dollar coins that are emblematic of a national park or other national site in each State, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the United States." A list of parks shows the potential for a very broad scope of designs.

The America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act (H.R.6184) passed in the House of Representatives July 9, 2008 and unpredictably gained approval in the lame duck session of the Senate on December 10, 2008.

The president’s signature today makes the bill law, and authorizes at least 56 new quarter designs at a rate of 5 per year and lasting for a minimum of 11 years. There is a clause in H.R. 6184 authorizing the Treasury Secretary to extend the series for another round, which could push the program length to whopping two decades.

The quarters will be issued in the order a park or site was designated, with the sites selected within 270 days from today. The Treasury Secretary will make each selection after "consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the governor or other chief executive of each State with respect to which a coin is to be issued."

Perhaps most interesting to collectors is H.R. 6184’s "Silver Bullion Coin" language. It calls for a gigantic 3.0 inch, 5.0 ounce duplicate of each quarter that is to be struck in .999 fine silver. As a comparison, the popular American Eagle silver coin is 1.598 inches in diameter and contains a single ounce of silver.

Another Senate version of the bill (S.3290), which did not pass, actually called for super-sized, eight ounce quarters. Congress is obviously entertaining idea changes to collector bullion coinage that may be forthcoming in other series or commemoratives.

Upon the completion of the National Parks Quarter coin program, the obverse of the quarter dollar will revert to the past image of President Washington that was in effect before the 50-State quarter program.

The reverse is to depict George Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton.

It is all too common for legislation to take months and sometimes years to pass. Hope for 2008 action on H.R.6184 dwindled further as the political season approached and the resulting lame duck members of congress returned to Washington D.C. to close out the year. Few would have expected its Senate passage by Unanimous Consent this year.

President Bush will likely sign the bill into law within ten days. With that, commemorative national park or site quarters at the rate of five different designs per year for each state, D.C. and U.S. Territory will be issued beginning in 2010. The legislation authorizes a second round of quarters at the discretion of the Treasury Secretary, which could push the series into 2020.

The commemorative quarters are to be designs as "emblematic of a national park or other national site in each State, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the United States, and for other purposes."

Additionally, a silver coin that is a duplicate of each quarter is to be struck from .999 fine silver and have an impressive diameter of 3.0 inches with a weight of 5.0 ounces. No modern coins of such size have ever been issued by the United States Mint.

The National Parks Quarter bill first appeared in the House of Representatives when Rep. Mike Castle introduced it on June 4, 2008. On June 26, Senator John Barrasso brought a similar measure (S.3214) before the Senate, showing his support for park and site coins.

For any legislation to become law, both houses must first agree to and pass a common bill and the president must sign it.

The United States Mint just wrapped up the 50 State Quarters® Program and will spend 2009 issuing six commemorative quarters to honor the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

The new one has some extra phrases that clarify certain sections in the bill, but most of the changes are barely noticeable. The purpose is the same — to create commemorative national park or site quarters in each state, D.C. and U.S. Territory starting in 2010.

The silver bullion coin section — the portion that permits a collector version of park quarters — does stands out. The older legislation has the silver weight at 5 ounces with a diameter of 3 inches — that is unique by itself for US coinage. (US bullion coins have been one ounce at most.) The newest proposal has increased the weight to a much larger 8 ounces. More on this in an upcoming post.

It’s hard to say why the old bill wasn’t updated. It was already very similar to the House of Representatives version (H.R.6184) that passed on July 9.

S.3290 does show continuing support for park quarters in the Senate and stronger evidence a quarter bill will become law.

Senator John Barrasso introduced the last one and this latest version. This time too, Senators Tim Johnson and Mike Enzi are listed with Barrasso.

Johnson said in a statement:

"South Dakota is blessed with some of the country’s most cherished natural and historic places, including Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Jewel Cave National Monument, and the Missouri National Recreational River.

We have all enjoyed seeing each new coin as part of the 50 State Coin Program. This legislation will now give us a chance to highlight the beauty of our National Parks."

A version of the legislation must pass both houses and get signed by the President before any new quarters can be designed, minted and issued.

When the House unanimously passed their bill (H.R.6184) July 9, Barrasso voiced his continuing support and said the first coin will depict Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park.

"As the nation’s first national park, it is only fitting that Yellowstone, as a part of Wyoming ’s unique heritage, is commemorated on the first quarter," Barrasso said. "I believe these coins will increase awareness and promote efforts to preserve America ’s national treasures for generations to come."

"Millions of people experience the pristine wilderness and rugged beauty of areas like Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Tetons, and Devil’s Tower National Monument every year. The people of Wyoming are rightly proud of the many places that display our state’s unique heritage and natural beauty."

Now Barrasso must get his Senate colleagues to pass the bill!