2010 Yosemite National Park Quarter Rolls and Bags

The U.S. Mint will offer the new products at 12:00 noon ET. Also on Monday, but earlier in the day, the Yosemite quarters start rolling into everyday circulation via Federal Reserve and local banks throughout the nation.

The coins are the third of five to be released this year, and are the debuting issues from the America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program. The new series features quarter-dollars with reverse designs honoring national parks and other national sites for the 50 states, 5 U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

The sites will be celebrated in the order in which they were nationally recognized (see the National Park Quarter Release Schedule), and at a rate of five every year until the final one in 2021.

The Yosemite National Park Quarter Two-Roll Sets is listed for a price of $32.95. Included are 80 coins in circulation quality. One roll contains 40 quarters from the U.S. Mint in Denver, with each featuring a denoting ‘D’ mint mark. The second roll has 40 quarters that were struck at the Mint’s facility in Philadelphia. These coins will have ‘P’ mint marks.

100-coin Yosemite National Park Quarter Bags are available from either Philadelphia or Denver. Each bag has a sale price of $35.95 and contains 100 circulating quality strikes.

The 2010 Yosemite quarter reverse portrays the iconic El Capitan — the biggest monolith of granite in the world, reaching more than 3,000 feet above the Yosemite Valley floor. Inscriptions are YOSEMITE, CALIFORNIA, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. It was designed by Joseph Menna and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. The obverse side of each America the Beautiful quarter continues to portray George Washington.

Releases have already occurred this year for the Hot Springs National Park Quarter and the Yellowstone National Park Quarter. Two other quarter-dollars will launch later in 2010. These include the Grand Canyon National Park Quarter for Arizona and Mount Hood National Forest Quarter for Oregon.

When issued, Yosemite National Park Quarter rolls and bags may be ordered directly on the United States Mint website at http://www.usmint.gov/, or through their toll free number 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

The inaugural five releases will feature four National Park 5 oz. Silver Bullion Coins and one National Forest 5 oz. Silver Bullion Coin. They include:

• 2010 Hot Springs National Park Silver Bullion Coin (Arkansas)
• 2010 Yellowstone National Park Silver Bullion Coin (Wyoming)
• 2010 Yosemite National Park Silver Bullion Coin (California)
• 2010 Grand Canyon National Park Silver Bullion Coin (Arizona)
• 2010 Mount Hood National Forest Silver Bullion Coin (Oregon)

In the new quarters series, every reverse design is emblematic of a site of national interest such as a national park or national forest, with one site chosen from each state, the District of Columbia and the five territories of the United States. The obverse features the traditional portrait of George Washington.

Both sides of the silver bullion coins are to be identical to the quarters. However, the coin specifications for the bullion versions are quite different. Authorized by the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 –the same as the circulating quarters, the coins are required to:

• Have a composition of .999 fine silver
• Weigh five ounces
• Feature a 3 inch diameter
• Include edge inscriptions of weight and fineness

The size means each America the Beautiful Silver Coin will be much larger than any other bullion coin produced by the U.S. Mint.

For reference, the Mint’s staple piece for silver bullion is the American Silver Eagle, which is struck from one ounce of silver to a diameter of 1.598 inches. That makes the America the Beautiful Bullion strikes almost twice as large.

To achieve the required results, the Mint purchased a new $2.2 million Graebener coining press and has been in the process of both installing the machine as well as completing test coin strikes. Early results proved problematic as the specifications require the aforementioned edge inscriptions, which tended to crumble the edges. The Mint has worked through those problems and has slated the minting of the America the Beautiful Bullion Coins to begin during the third quarter (July, August and September).

2010 issues, once available, will follow at a quicker rate given their late release. Future silver bullion coins –in years 2011 and beyond– are expected to launch around the same time as their corresponding quarter. (See National Park Quarter Release Dates.)

Where to buy silver bullion quarters

The U.S. Mint does not offer any of its bullion products directly to the public, but instead through its network of authorized dealers. As such, the new coins will be found through the same channels as the bullion American Buffalo gold coins, the bullion American Gold Eagles and the bullion American Silver Eagles.

Additionally, the coins may also be sold by the National Park Service (NPS). The authorizing law provides an exception where the "Director of the National Park Service, or the designee of the Director" may purchase units of them in no fewer than 1,000 at a time, and then may resell them.

The Mint has indicated the possibility of creating numismatic versions as well, which it would directly sell to anyone.

The United States Mint this week published the production figures for the recently released Yellowstone National Park Quarter. The coin marks the second issue of the debuting America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program.

In those figures, the U.S. Mint shows 68,400,00 were struck, with 34,800,000 coming from its facility in Denver and 33,600,000 originating from its plant in Philadelphia.

While the Mint is quick to point out that the numbers are “preliminary production figures only,” with the official mintages not expected until January 2011, they still provide a tangible reference to compare with previous quarter-dollars.

Released earlier this year as the premier strike of the America the Beautiful Quarters series was the Hot Springs National Park Quarter. The Mint shows only 59.6 million of those coins were manufactured, with 29 million from Denver and 30.6 million from Philadelphia. (Read the ParkQuarters.com article here regarding their mintages.) That number earned the Hot Springs Quarter the distinction of having the lowest mintage of any circulating 25-cent piece since 1955, replacing the 2009 Northern Mariana Islands Quarter which had previously held the title. (The Northern Mariana Islands Quarter is listed at a total of 72.8 million.)

The Yellowstone Quarters have an added 8.8 million strikes over the Hot Springs coins, making them more plentiful for daily transactions and perhaps beginning a new trend of higher mintages for the series in general. Of course, for that to occur and continue, American economic conditions need to improve as well.

The Mint strikes circulation quality coins based on the needs for daily commerce. During economic downturns there are generally fewer transactions which cuts into that demand. Additionally, American use their older coins that were once hoarded at home, essentially re-supplying coinage demand from the bottom up, which seriously reduces the necessity of newer minted coins.

Collectors, however, are happy to see low mintages, as one of the market factors in determining a coin’s worth is how many are available — the more scarce, the more valuable. A valid indicator of this collector interest is the number of quarter bags and rolls sold by the US Mint directly to the public. As the Mint charges a premium on these coins, usually those who purchase them do so for one of two reasons — to add them to their own collection or to re-sell them for a profit.

The most recent sales figures for these America the Beautiful Quarters products are shown below:

The "as of date" for the above US Mint provided figures is Sunday, July 4, 2010. The Hot Springs products launched on April 21, 2010, giving it several weeks lead time since the Yellowstone products were released on June 1, 2010.

The US Mint sells the two-roll sets containing one roll of 40 circulation quality quarters struck in Denver and one roll of 40 struck in Philadelphia for $32.95 a set. The 100-coin bags offer buyers the choice of 100 circulation quality strikes from either Mint facility for $35.95. Visit the Mint’s online store at http://www.usmint.gov/ to order.

View Yellowstone National Park Quarters for more information on the coin.

The next Yosemite National Park Quarter will be released into circulation on July 26, 2010. The Mint has already started minting them in preparation.

Promoting it as "See America for a Quarter," the Mint is inviting all to travel around the nation as it releases new strikes of the America the Beautiful Quarters™. Those accepting the invite are sure to be treated to countless scenic opportunities and exposure to numerous historic national parks and sites. To get started, the Mint has provided the next three ceremonial quarter release dates and locations for 2010.

Under the U.S. Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters Program, five new strikes will be released annually featuring reverses emblematic of a featured national site such as a national park or a national forest. One site was selected from each state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories for a total of fifty-six new quarters issued over a twelve-year period.

Special release ceremonies for the first two quarters issued under the program have already been held by the US Mint earlier this year. Taking place at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas on April 20, 2010 and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming on June 3, 2010, the ceremonies marked the debut for the new series.

"When we launched the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, we embarked on a journey to reconnect Americans with our beautiful national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and other sites," stated United States Mint Director Ed Moy.  "We hope families across the country will join us on this journey."

Three more ceremonies are scheduled for the remainder of 2010 to coincide with the release of the quarters honoring those locations. According to the Mint, the ceremonies will occur at these sites on the dates shown:

• Thursday, July 29, 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) at the Valley Visitor’s Center, Yosemite Village Loop, Yosemite, California to celebrate the release of the Yosemite National Park Quarter.

• Tuesday, September 21, 1:00 p.m. (PT) on the grounds adjacent to El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon, Arizona to celebrate the release of the Grand Canyon National Park Quarter.

• Wednesday, November 17, 10:00 a.m. (PT) at the World Forestry Center, 4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland, Oregon to celebrate the release of the Mount Hood National Forest Quarter.

Anyone who attends the ceremonies will have the chance to obtain new strikes honoring the featured site. Children will be given one quarter free to commemorate the event while adults are offered the opportunity to exchange cash for rolls of the new coins.

The United States Mint has published the latest production figures for the Hot Springs National Park Quarter, and the numbers suggest they will end with the lowest mintage of any quarter-dollar since 1955.

A total of 59,600,000 million were produced, with 29,000,000 from the Mint’s facility in Denver and 30,600,000 from its plant in Philadelphia.

The Hot Springs quarter did not begin entering circulation until April 19, 2010, and its production only started in March 2010. The America the Beautiful Quarters™ series kicked off to a later than normal start, as the U.S. Mint had to build the new coin program to honor the 56 different national parks and national sites between 2010-2021.

Still, that is only a minor point. The quantity of coins made for circulation is dictated by commercial demand, and that has been extremely low since the throws of the U.S. recession began.

The tide may be turning. The Mint struck more coinage in May than in any other month in more than a year. The could indicate rising figures for forthcoming quarters, which would actually make the Hot Springs National Park Quarters more sought after from a comparative scarcity perspective.

When the 50 State Quarters Program™ launched in 1999, the very first Delaware coin had a production run of 774,82,000. That same year nearly 1.35 billion Connecticut quarters were struck for circulation. These provide a distinctive picture as to how small the 59.6 million Hot Springs issue is as the first America the Beautiful Quarters’ release.

In another contrasting example, last year’s District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Quarters Program™ was also seriously affected by the economic downturn. Yet, the DC quarter hit 172,400,000. The final Northern Mariana Islands issue was the lowest, but still came in at a much higher 72,800,000.

As an important point, Hot Springs mintages could still increase this year. During the first week of June the United States Mint announced a new purchase program where businesses could order America the Beautiful Quarters in bulk bags, and that:

"Orders for previously released coins will be accepted as long as unassigned inventory exists. The United States Mint may produce additional coins to satisfy orders throughout the year for the first few designs if time and resources permit; however, there is no guarantee, and orders may be refused. As the end of the calendar year approaches, flexibility in supplying previously released quarters diminishes."

As such, it is within the realm of possibility that the absolute final production figures for the Hot Springs National Park Quarter will not be known until early 2011.

Visitors watch Old Faithful start to erupt after the Yellowstone National Park Quarter ceremony ended.

Originally planned for outside of the Old Faithful Inn, the function was move indoors to the Old Faithful Lodge Recreation Hall due to the inclement weather in the region — rain and drizzle were common and were joined by temperatures only in the 45-degree range.

Perhaps not as picturesque of backdrop as the famous Old Faithful Geyser found just steps outside, the crowd did not seem to mind the more comfortable surroundings as the official ceremony was launched under the direction of Master of Ceremonies Park Public Affairs Officer Al Nash.

Initiating the function was the traditional national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Gene Bryan, Wyoming Tourism Board Member, took to the stand to praise the state of Wyoming, the Park Service and the U.S. Mint for the creation of the Yellowstone National Park Quarter.

Following Bryan, Paul Schullery, historian and author, was called to make a few comments before Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park Suzanne Lewis was introduced. Lewis also commented favorably on the America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program along with remembering a bit of the previous 50-State Quarters Program which serves as the template for the new series.

Finally, US Mint Director Ed Moy stood up to the podium and gave a short speech which included a bit of fond memories from his childhood.

"Well, the last time I was here at Yellowstone National Park my parents were young, I was very small and so everything in this park looked huge and magical to me," recalled Moy. "Things change. My parents are much older, I’m not so small anymore but some things stay the same. And that is that this park is still magical."

Moy went on to talk about the first quarter release ceremony of the America the Beautiful Program held at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas in April, but quickly switched gears back to Yellowstone.

"As I was coming here Old Faithful was erupting and for me, whose been to many coin launches, that gives a whole new meaning to a coin launch. So thank you Old Faithful!" joked Moy.

Details of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program were then discussed by Moy including the legislation behind the series and the design work that goes into it. Before closing, Moy tied the quarter program back to the sites they honor and specifically Yellowstone itself:

"When Americans pull this coin out of their pockets, some will remember fond memories of their family vacation in Yellowstone, others will be inspired to visit Yellowstone to create new memories," commented Moy. "Many Americans will make the connection to their rich history as a Nation and the extraordinary natural resources of Wyoming."

With the close of the ceremony, children aged eighteen and under were given a new Yellowstone National Park Quarter for free just for attending. Adults were allowed to line-up to exchange cash for rolls of the new strikes, just as has been done at other recent coin ceremonies.

Of course, today was not the first day in which the Yellowstone Quarters were obtainable by the public. The Federal Reserve has had them available for distribution since Tuesday, June 1. That same day, the Mint started offering two-roll sets and 100-coin bags of circulation quality Yellowstone Quarters on its website and via the toll-free number of 1-800-USA-Mint.

The new quarter reverse, designed and sculpted by Don Everhart, features Old Faithful with a mature bull bison in the foreground and another toward the geyser. Inscriptions included are YELLOWSTONE, WYOMING, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM."

The next America the Beautiful coin for issue is the Yosemite National Park Quarter which will premier near the end of July. Two more strikes will follow, including the Grand Canyon National Park Quarter in September and the Mount Hood National Forest Quarter in November. (See the National Park quarter release dates.)

This summer the US Mint will also introduce the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins. These are duplicates of the quarters, but weigh five ounces, have a diameter of 3 inches, and are composed of .999 fine silver.

Yellowstone National Park Quarter, Two-Roll Set and 100-Coin Bags

The Yellowstone quarter is the second 25-cent piece released this year and also just the second issue from the America the Beautiful Quarters™ series — the new U.S. program that will feature 56 differently designed quarters issued at a rate of five per year.

The reverse or tails side of the 2010 Yellowstone quarter was both designed and sculpted by Don Everhart. It features the famous Old Faithful geyser and two bison, which are commonly found roaming the park.

The obverse or heads side of the coin remains commonly familiar. It portrays George Washington, the first President of the United States, as has been the case since 1932.

The quarters may be ordered directly from the US Mint in either 100-coin bags for $35.95 or two-roll sets for $32.95. The 100-coin bags are sold with circulation-quality quarters from either Mint facility located in Philadelphia or Denver. The sets include a roll of 40 coins from each.

The prices are identical to bags and rolls of Hot Springs quarters which the Mint began selling on April 19, 2010.

In terms of understanding circulation quality coins, the Mint describes them as:

"Struck on the main production floors of the United States Mint facilities at Denver and Philadelphia for use in general circulation."

Those interested in placing orders may do so directly from the Mint’s online store (http://www.usmint.gov/). They are also available through the toll free number 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). A fee of $4.95 will be added to all domestic orders to cover shipping and handling costs.

The quarter-dollars also began entering circulation on June 1, with the coins flowing through the federal reserve banking system to local banks around the country. They will eventually find their way into every day change.

The quarter’s ceremonial release will occur on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Mountain Time and will be held at the Old Faithful Inn which is located adjacent to Old Faithful Geyser.

Yellowstone National Park, located primarily in the state of Wyoming, has the distinction of being named the first national park in the U.S. when it was so designated on March 1, 1872.

The America the Beautiful Quarters Program is set to run until 2021 unless it is extended at the discretion of the Treasury Secretary. The 56 coins will honor a different American national park or national site from every state, territory and the District of Columbia.

Silver sets have been available from the US Mint since 1992. It was not until 2004, however, that the Mint began creating one to feature only the quarter-dollars issued for a year.

Included in this year’s set are the following five coins:

• Hot Springs National Park Quarter
• Yellowstone National Park Quarter
• Yosemite National Park Quarter
• Grand Canyon National Park Quarter
• Mount Hood National Forest Quarter

These strikes represent locations found in the states of Arkansas, Wyoming, California, Arizona and Oregon, respectively.

As of this set’s release, only one of the coins represented in it is available in general circulation – the Hot Springs strike. It made its debut back on April 20th. The next coin to find its way into circulation will be the Yellowstone Quarter with a release ceremony scheduled for June 3rd.

Of course, the coins found in this set are quite different from the circulation quality strikes. Obviously, and most importantly, each coin in the set is struck from 90% silver. When added together, the five coins of the set total 0.904 troy ounces of silver giving the set an intrinsic value alone of over $16 based on today’s silver spot.

Also, each coin of the set is struck to proof quality. To complete this process, the Mint starts off with coin blanks that are treated, polished and cleaned. These special blanks are then fed into the Mint’s presses which are fitted with specially polished dies. Each coin is then struck at least twice to insure a good impression.

The result of this process are coins that feature an intricate level of detail not usually seen on the average circulation quality piece. Also, proof coins show a mirror-like background adding to the eye appeal of each strike.

The America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set sells for $32.95, plus the Mint’s standard shipping and handling charge of $4.95 per order.

To place an order, visit the Mint’s website found at www.usmint.gov, or call the toll-free number 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

The event will be held behind the Old Faithful Inn, which was designated a National Historic Landmark from Wyoming in 1987 and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2004.

More importantly for the ceremony, the inn is within viewing distance of Old Faithful Geyser — the same geyser depicted with two bison on the reverse side of the Yellowstone quarter.

U.S. Mint Director Edmund Moy is expected to launch the new quarter-dollar in front of a crowd who will later exchange cash for rolls of the coins. As has been traditional at official releases, those 18 years old and younger will receive a new quarter for free to commemorate the event.

The 40-coin rolls for exchange will be circulation-quality strikes from the Mint’s Denver facility. While roll limits are generally in place, the levels available per person are usually dictated by the amount of people and their willingness to stand in lines for multiple passes.

For those who can not attend the event and are interested, a live web cast will be available at http://www.americathebeautifulquarters.gov. Additionally, rolls and bags of the quarters from both Denver and Philadelphia can be ordered directly from the US Mint on June 1, 2010.

The 2010 Yellowstone National Park Quarters are the second coins to be released in the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program. The new series will celebrate 56 different national parks and sites throughout the U.S. and its territories from 2010 to 2021.

The other three forthcoming 2010 quarters honor Yosemite National Park in California, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon. The first ceremonial release honored Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas.

2010 Yellowstone National Park-Quarter Rolls and Bags

These strikes are also expected to be released through the Federal Reserve banking system and into circulation by local banks on the same day.

The coins mark the second issue of the America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program which debuted earlier this year with the Hot Springs National Park Quarter honoring the national park of the same name located in Arkansas.

Each coin in the series honors a specific national park or other national site with the coins released at a rate of five per year. One site was selected from each state, the District of Columbia and the five territories for a total of fifty-six locations that will be featured in the program.

Three other quarters are slated to debut later in 2010 and include the Yosemite National Park Quarter representing California, Grand Canyon National Park Quarter for Arizona and Mount Hood National Forest Quarter showcasing a national forest located in Oregon.

The Yellowstone National Park Quarter Two-Roll Sets will be offered for $32.95 by the US Mint. Included will be a total of 80 circulation strike quarters, with one roll containing 40 coins struck at the Mint’s facility in Denver, and thus showing the ‘D’ mintmark. The second roll included in the set will contain 40 coins struck at the Mint’s facility in Philadelphia and will have the ‘P’ mint mark.

Buyers will have a choice of what facility they would like to have their coins struck at with the 100-coin Yellowstone National Park Quarter Bags, either Philadelphia or Denver. Each purchased bag will contain 100 circulation quality Yellowstone coins from the selected Mint and will sell for $35.95.

Yellowstone National Park was the first national park created in the nation (and the world). It was established in 1872 to protect the natural resources of the area from abuse including the wildlife and thermal features for which Yellowstone has become noted for.

Upon release, the rolls and bags of the Yellowstone National Park Quarter may be ordered directly on the United States Mint Web site at http://www.usmint.gov/, or through their toll free number 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).