America the Beautiful silver bullion coins
{{short description|Silver bullion coins of the United States}}
{{Infobox Coin
|Denomination = America the Beautiful
silver bullion coins
|Country = United States
|Value = 0.25
|Unit = US dollar
|Mass = 155.5
|Mass_troy_oz = 5.00
|Diameter = 76.2
|Diameter_inch = 3
|Thickness = 3.25
|Thickness_inch = 0.128
|Edge = Plain with incuse inscriptions
|Composition = 99.9% Ag
|Years of Minting = 2010–2021
|Catalog Number =
|Obverse =
|Obverse Design = George Washington
|Obverse Designer = John Flanagan (1932 version) from a 1786 bust by Houdon / William Cousins (modification to Flanagan's design)
|Obverse Design Date = 2010
|Reverse =
|Reverse Design = Various; Five designs per year (one in 2021)
|Reverse Designer = Various
|Reverse Design Date =
}}
The America the Beautiful silver bullion coins comprise a series of silver bullion coins with a face value of a quarter dollar. The coins contain five troy ounces of silver, making them the largest silver bullion coins ever issued by the United States Mint. The design of the coins duplicates exactly—though enlarged—each of the America the Beautiful quarters. They were issued from 2010 to 2021. The coins were available for sale during the year in which their corresponding circulating coin is issued. The coins are distributed by the United States Mint's network of authorized bullion dealers, and may be resold at the discretion of the Director of the National Park Service.
Design
All coins in the series feature a common obverse depicting George Washington in a restored version of the portrait created by John Flanagan for the 1932 Washington quarter, while the reverse feature five individual designs for each year of the program (one in 2021), each depicting a national park or national site (one from each state, federal district, and territory). Unlike the reeded edge of the normal quarter, the silver coins have a smooth edge inscribed with the coin specifications: .999 FINE SILVER 5.0 OUNCE.{{Cite web |title=America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Coins {{!}} Coin Explorer {{!}} NGC |url=https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-explorer/united-states/american-eagles-and-bullion-coins/america-the-beautiful-5-ounce-coins/ |access-date=2023-10-02 |website=www.ngccoin.com}}
=Differences between uncirculated and bullion versions=
There are three main differences between the uncirculated and bullion versions of the coin:
- Each uncirculated coin comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Mint and is placed inside a plastic capsule and then in a presentation box; the bullion version is shipped in tubes of 10 coins. The tubes are shipped by the mint in "monster boxes", ten tubes to a box, and the contents are sold at the retailer's discretion.
- The uncirculated coins are vapor blasted ("burnished") after minting, giving them a matte finish, while bullion coins have a shinier finish.
- Under the "In God We Trust" inscription, the uncirculated coins feature a "P" mint mark representing the Philadelphia mint, whereas the bullion coins do not have a mint mark.
Legislative history
{{Wikisource|America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008}}
The program is authorized by Title II of the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008.{{uspl|110|456}}
Minting history
A new coining press from Germany, the Grabener 1000 press, was installed on March 1, 2010, at the Philadelphia Mint for use in producing the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins. The press provides up to {{convert|1000|t|short ton|sp=us|abbr=off|lk=out}} of pressure for each strike and can produce in excess of 1 million coins per year. Silver planchets for the series will be supplied by Sunshine Minting.{{cite web |url=http://numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=9548 |author=Numismatic News |title=Press Purchased for New Silver Coins |publisher=Numismaster.com |date=February 26, 2010 |access-date=March 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309061153/http://numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=9548 |archive-date=9 March 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}
In conjunction with the April 27, 2010, meeting of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee in Philadelphia, committee members were shown examples of the America the Beautiful silver bullion coins.{{cite web |url=http://blog.numismaticnews.net/buzz/2010/04/28/CCACMakesHistoryOnTwitter.aspx |last=Harper |first=Dave |title=CCAC Makes History on Twitter |work=Buzz with Dave Harper |publisher=Numismatic News |date=April 28, 2010 |access-date=April 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516194119/http://blog.numismaticnews.net/buzz/2010/04/28/CCACMakesHistoryOnTwitter.aspx |archive-date=16 May 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}
Coins released to date
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! No. ! State/territory ! Site !US Mint Item# !Release Date ! Bullion Mintage{{cite web | url = https://www.usmint.gov/bullion-sales | title = Bullion Sales/Mintage Figures - 2018 America the Beautiful Silver Bullion 5 oz Coins Bullion | website = United States Mint | access-date = 2 November 2018 }} ! Uncirculated Mintage |
|---|
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#51D000"|2010
| 1 | Arkansas |NP1 |4/19/2010 | rowspan="5" | 33,000 ea. | rowspan="3" | 27,000 ea. |
| 2
| Wyoming |NP2 |6/1/2010 |
| 3
| California |NP3 |7/26/2010 |
| 4
| Arizona |NP4 |9/20/2010 | 26,019 |
| 5
| Oregon |NP5 |11/15/2010 | 26,928 |
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#FF9A00"|2011
| 6 | Pennsylvania | Gettysburg National Military Park |NP6 |1/24/2011 | rowspan="2" | 126,700 ea. | 24,625 |
| 7
| Montana |NP7 |4/4/2011 | 20,856 |
| 8
| Washington |NP8 |6/13/2011 | 104,900 | 18,398 |
| 9
| Mississippi | Vicksburg National Military Park |NP9 |8/29/2011 | 58,100 | 18,594 |
| 10
| Oklahoma | Chickasaw National Recreation Area |NP10 |11/14/2011 | 48,700 | 16,827 |
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#FF0000"|2012
| 11 | Puerto Rico |NQ0 |1/23/2012 | 24,000 | 17,314 |
| 12
| New Mexico | Chaco Culture National Historical Park |NQ1 |4/2/2012 | 24,400 | 17,146 |
| 13
| Maine |NQ2 |6/11/2012 | 25,400 | 14,978 |
| 14
| Hawai'i | Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park |NQ3 |8/27/2012 | rowspan="2" | 20,000 ea. | 14,863 |
| 15
| Alaska |NQ4 |11/5/2012 | 15,225 |
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#0000FF"|2013
| 16 | New Hampshire | White Mountain National Forest |NQ5 |1/28/2013 | 35,000 | 20,530 |
| 17
| Ohio | Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial |NQ6 |4/1/2013 | rowspan="3" | 30,000 ea. | 17,707 |
| 18
| Nevada |NQ7 |6/10/2013 | 17,792 |
| 19
| Maryland | Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine |NQ8 |8/27/2013 | 19,802 |
| 20
| South Dakota | Mount Rushmore National Memorial |NQ9 |11/4/2013 | 35,000 | 23,547 |
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#AB00AB"|2014
| 21 | Tennessee | Great Smoky Mountains National Park |NR1 |1/27/2014 | 33,000 | 24,710 |
| 22
| Virginia |NR2 |3/31/2014 | 25,000 | 28,451 |
| 23
| Utah |NR3 |6/9/2014 | rowspan="2" | 22,000 ea. | 28,434 |
| 24
| Colorado | Great Sand Dunes National Park |NR4 |8/25/2014 | 24,103 |
| 25
| Florida |NR5 |11/3/2014 | 34,000 | 22,732 |
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#FF3399"|2015
| 26 | Nebraska | Homestead National Monument of America |SN1 |2/9/2015 | 35,000 | 21,286 |
| 27
| Louisiana |SN2 |4/13/2015 | 42,000 | 19,449 |
| 28
| North Carolina |SN3 |6/22/2015 | rowspan="3" | 45,000 ea. | 17,461 |
| 29
| Delaware | Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge |SN4 |9/14/2015 | 17,309 |
| 30
| New York | Saratoga National Historical Park |SN5 |11/16/2015 | 17,563 |
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#51ABFF"|2016
| 31 | Illinois |16AJ |2/1/2016 | 105,000 | 18,781 |
| 32
| Kentucky | Cumberland Gap National Historical Park |16AK |4/4/2016 | 75,000 | 18,713 |
| 33
| West Virginia | Harpers Ferry National Historical Park |16AL |6/6/2016 | 55,300 | 18,896 |
| 34
| North Dakota | Theodore Roosevelt National Park |16AM |8/29/2016 | 40,000 | 18,917 |
| 35
| South Carolina | Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument) |16AN |11/14/2016 | rowspan="2" | 35,000 ea. | 17,882 |
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#990000"|2017
| 36 | Iowa | Effigy Mounds National Monument |17AJ |2/6/2017 | 17,251 |
| 37
| District of Columbia | Frederick Douglass National Historic Site |17AK |4/3/2017 | rowspan="2" | 20,000 ea. |17,678 |
| 38
| Missouri | Ozark National Scenic Riverways |17AL |6/5/2017 | 17,694 |
| 39
| New Jersey | Ellis Island (Statue of Liberty National Monument) |17AM |8/28/2017 | 40,000 | 17,670 |
| 40
| Indiana | George Rogers Clark National Historical Park |17AN |11/13/2017 | 35,000 | 14,731 |
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#000099"|2018
|41 |Michigan | Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore |18AJ |02/19/2018 | rowspan="3" |30,000 ea. |17,773 |
| 42
|Wisconsin | Apostle Islands National Lakeshore |18AK |04/13/2018 |16,802 |
| 43
|Minnesota |18AL |06/14/2018 |16,839 |
| 44
|Georgia | Cumberland Island National Seashore |18AM |09/12/2018 |52,500 |16,376 |
| 45
|Rhode Island | Block Island National Wildlife Refuge |18AN |11/26/2018 | rowspan="3" |80,000 ea. |15,912 |
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#FFCC00"|2019
|46 |Massachusetts | Lowell National Historical Park |19AJ |02/07/2019 |16,644 |
| 47
|Northern Mariana Islands |19AK |04/04/2019 |16,287 |
| 48
|Guam | War in the Pacific National Historical Park |19AL |06/06/2019 |72,500 |16,277 |
| 49
|Texas | San Antonio Missions National Historical Park |19AM |08/29/2019 |55,200 |16,211 |
| 50
|Idaho | Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness |19AN |11/14/2019 |25,000 |16,310 |
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#00FF00"|2020
|51 |American Samoa | National Park of American Samoa |20AJ |02/06/2020 | rowspan="5" |45,000 ea. |15,781 |
| 52
|Connecticut | Weir Farm National Historic Site |20AK |05/18/2020 |15,328 |
| 53
|U.S. Virgin Islands | Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve |20AL |09/18/2020 |13,566 |
| 54
|Vermont | Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park |20AM |11/23/2020 |13,549 |
| 55
|Kansas | Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve |20AN |12/7/2020 |13,617 |
| bgcolor="#008080"|2021
|56 |Alabama | Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site |21AJ |4/8/2021 |50,000 |19,819 |
See also
{{Portal|Money|Numismatics|United States}}
Notes
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/atb/ United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Program]
{{US currency and coinage}}
{{Coinage (United States)}}
{{George Washington}}
Category:Currencies introduced in 2010
Category:United States silver coins
Category:George Washington on United States currency