America the Beautiful silver bullion coins
United States | |
Value | 0.25 US dollar |
---|---|
Mass | 155.5 g (5.00 troy oz) |
Diameter | 76.2 mm (3 in) |
Thickness | 3.25 mm (0.128 in) |
Edge | Plain with incuse inscriptions |
Composition | 99.9% Ag |
Years of minting | 2010–2021 |
Obverse | |
Design | George Washington |
Designer | John Flanagan (1932 version) from a 1786 bust by Houdon / William Cousins (modification to Flanagan's design) |
Design date | 2010 |
Reverse | |
Design | Various; Five designs per year (one in 2021) |
Designer | Various |
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
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2d/5oz_America_the_Beautiful_Bullion_%28comparison%29.jpg/220px-5oz_America_the_Beautiful_Bullion_%28comparison%29.jpg)
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.[1]
Differences between uncirculated and bullion versions
[edit]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 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
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/38px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png)
The program is authorized by Title II of the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008.[2]
Minting history
[edit]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 1,000 metric tons (1,100 short tons) 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.[3]
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.[4]
Coins released to date
[edit]Year | No. | State/territory | Site | US Mint Item# | Release Date | Bullion Mintage[5] | Uncirculated Mintage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | 1 | Arkansas | Hot Springs National Park | NP1 | 4/19/2010 | 33,000 | 27,000 |
2 | Wyoming | Yellowstone National Park | NP2 | 6/1/2010 | 33,000 | 27,000 | |
3 | California | Yosemite National Park | NP3 | 7/26/2010 | 33,000 | 27,000 | |
4 | Arizona | Grand Canyon National Park | NP4 | 9/20/2010 | 33,000 | 26,019 | |
5 | Oregon | Mount Hood National Forest | NP5 | 11/15/2010 | 33,000 | 26,928 | |
2011 | 6 | Pennsylvania | Gettysburg National Military Park | NP6 | 1/24/2011 | 126,700 | 24,625 |
7 | Montana | Glacier National Park | NP7 | 4/4/2011 | 126,700 | 20,856 | |
8 | Washington | Olympic National Park | 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 | |
2012 | 11 | Puerto Rico | El Yunque National Forest | 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 | Acadia National Park | NQ2 | 6/11/2012 | 25,400 | 14,978 | |
14 | Hawai'i | Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park | NQ3 | 8/27/2012 | 20,000 | 14,863 | |
15 | Alaska | Denali National Park | NQ4 | 11/5/2012 | 20,000 | 15,225 | |
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 | 30,000 | 17,707 | |
18 | Nevada | Great Basin National Park | NQ7 | 6/10/2013 | 30,000 | 17,792 | |
19 | Maryland | Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine | NQ8 | 8/27/2013 | 30,000 | 19,802 | |
20 | South Dakota | Mount Rushmore National Memorial | NQ9 | 11/4/2013 | 35,000 | 23,547 | |
2014 | 21 | Tennessee | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | NR1 | 1/27/2014 | 33,000 | 24,710 |
22 | Virginia | Shenandoah National Park | NR2 | 3/31/2014 | 25,000 | 28,451 | |
23 | Utah | Arches National Park | NR3 | 6/9/2014 | 22,000 | 28,434 | |
24 | Colorado | Great Sand Dunes National Park | NR4 | 8/25/2014 | 22,000 | 24,103 | |
25 | Florida | Everglades National Park | NR5 | 11/3/2014 | 34,000 | 22,732 | |
2015 | 26 | Nebraska | Homestead National Monument of America | SN1 | 2/9/2015 | 35,000 | 21,286 |
27 | Louisiana | Kisatchie National Forest | SN2 | 4/13/2015 | 42,000 | 19,449 | |
28 | North Carolina | Blue Ridge Parkway | SN3 | 6/22/2015 | 45,000 | 17,461 | |
29 | Delaware | Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge | SN4 | 9/14/2015 | 45,000 | 17,309 | |
30 | New York | Saratoga National Historical Park | SN5 | 11/16/2015 | 45,000 | 17,563 | |
2016 | 31 | Illinois | Shawnee National Forest | 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 | 35,000 | 17,882 | |
2017 | 36 | Iowa | Effigy Mounds National Monument | 17AJ | 2/6/2017 | 35,000 | 17,251 |
37 | District of Columbia | Frederick Douglass National Historic Site | 17AK | 4/3/2017 | 20,000 | 17,678 | |
38 | Missouri | Ozark National Scenic Riverways | 17AL | 6/5/2017 | 20,000 | 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 | |
2018 | 41 | Michigan | Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore | 18AJ | 02/19/2018 | 30,000 | 17,773 |
42 | Wisconsin | Apostle Islands National Lakeshore | 18AK | 04/13/2018 | 30,000 | 16,802 | |
43 | Minnesota | Voyageurs National Park | 18AL | 06/14/2018 | 30,000 | 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 | 80,000 | 15,912 | |
2019 | 46 | Massachusetts | Lowell National Historical Park | 19AJ | 02/07/2019 | 80,000 | 16,644 |
47 | Northern Mariana Islands | American Memorial Park | 19AK | 04/04/2019 | 80,000 | 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 | |
2020 | 51 | American Samoa | National Park of American Samoa | 20AJ | 02/06/2020 | 45,000 | 15,781 |
52 | Connecticut | Weir Farm National Historic Site | 20AK | 05/18/2020 | 45,000 | 15,328 | |
53 | U.S. Virgin Islands | Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve | 20AL | 09/18/2020 | 45,000 | 13,566 | |
54 | Vermont | Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park | 20AM | 11/23/2020 | 45,000 | 13,549 | |
55 | Kansas | Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve | 20AN | 12/7/2020 | 45,000 | 13,617 | |
2021 | 56 | Alabama | Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site | 21AJ | 4/8/2021 | 50,000 | 19,819 |
See also
[edit]- America the Beautiful quarters
- America the Beautiful quarter mintage figures
- American Silver Eagle
- Bullion
- Bullion coin
- Inflation hedge
- Silver as an investment
Notes
[edit]- ^ "America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Coins | Coin Explorer | NGC". www.ngccoin.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
- ^ Pub. L. 110–456 (text) (PDF)
- ^ Numismatic News (26 February 2010). "Press Purchased for New Silver Coins". Numismaster.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ Harper, Dave (28 April 2010). "CCAC Makes History on Twitter". Buzz with Dave Harper. Numismatic News. Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ "Bullion Sales/Mintage Figures - 2018 America the Beautiful Silver Bullion 5 oz Coins Bullion". United States Mint. Retrieved 2 November 2018.