America the Beautiful quarters

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America the Beautiful Quarters are a series of 56 quarter-dollar coins issued by the United States Mint from 2010 to 2021. This program was established to honor 56 national parks and other national sites in each state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. The America the Beautiful Quarters program followed the 50 State Quarters program and is the second series of quarters to feature different designs for each state and territory.

Background

The program was authorized by the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008, which aimed to celebrate the nation's natural and historical treasures. The United States Congress passed the act, and it was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The act stipulated that five new quarter designs would be released each year in the order that the featured sites were first established as national sites, concluding with a single release in 2021.

Design

Each quarter's reverse (tail side) features a unique design emblematic of a national park or national site in each state, the District of Columbia, and the territories of the United States. The obverse (head side) of each coin continues to bear the familiar image of President George Washington, but in a restored version of the portrait created by John Flanagan for the 1932 Washington quarter.

The selection of the sites to be honored was made by the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the governor or other chief executive of each host jurisdiction and the Secretary of the Interior. The designs were created and selected to broadly represent the natural and cultural heritage of the United States. They were developed through a review process that included input from the public, site officials, and the Commission of Fine Arts, and were ultimately approved by the Secretary of the Treasury.

Release

The first quarter in the series, featuring Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, was released on April 19, 2010. The final quarter, honoring the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama, was released on February 8, 2021. The quarters were released in the order that the featured sites were officially established as national sites.

Collecting

The America the Beautiful Quarters have been popular among collectors. The United States Mint also issued numismatic products related to the series, including proof sets, silver proof sets, and uncirculated coin sets. Special collector editions, such as the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins, which are five-ounce, .999 fine silver versions of the quarters, were also released.

Legacy

The America the Beautiful Quarters program has been praised for its educational value and for encouraging exploration of the United States' natural landscapes and historical sites. It has also been credited with increasing public interest in coin collecting. Following the conclusion of the America the Beautiful Quarters program, the United States Mint began the American Women Quarters program in 2022, which honors women who have made significant contributions to American history.

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