Comments on: America the Beautiful Quarters vs. 50 State Quarters

By: Coin Update Staff

Coin Update Staff — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:06:05 +0000

The first America the Beautiful Quarter featuring Hot Springs National Park is expected to be released in late April 2010.

You might want to contact the company you ordered them from directly.

By: TAMMIE BLACK

TAMMIE BLACK — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:27:40 +0000

CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF THE COINS HAVE BEEN RELEASED YET? THE ORDER I PLACE SAID I SHOULD HAVE HAD THEM BY 1/6/10 BUT HAVE YET TO RECEIVE THEM. THANKS

By: greanmonkey

greanmonkey — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:10:06 +0000

One of the problems with the designs for the state quarters was that most of them were developed separately by each state (through internal initiatives) which tended to create a sense of disconnectedness from one design to another. Some would have state mottoes, others would have the state bird, others something totally different. The Idaho quarter has a Peregrine Falcon on it, and that’s not even its state bird? Why?

I think, from what I’ve read, the “America the Beautiful” quarters will be designed in house and given to the advisory committees and the Treasurer for approval. I think the pictures will be more relevant to each site, than the state quarters were. This should give this series a little more uniformity. Of course, uniformity could mean that all the designs are awful. The biggest challenge is making each park look different from any other park… when all you have is a canvas the size of a quarter and no ability to introduce color.
For some, a mountain is a mountain, a forest is a forest regardless of what park it is suppose to be. But truly, how does one make each unique?

By: grlampton

grlampton — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:16:04 +0000

I agree with the substance of this article. I, too, am getting tired of the endless series of multiple designs on the quarters and the dollars, whose only purpose is to get people to pruchase and collect them. Leave it to the U.S. mint to take what started out as a good idea and drive it into the ground. As a coin collector, I feel exploited.

A lot will depend on the quality of the designs. In my view, the designs for the State Quarter series were generally poor, and the Presidential Dollars are absolutely hideous. Fewer designes of better quality would be ideal.

However, if one looks back on the history of commemorative postage stamps (the closest analogue I can think of to what them int is trying to do), although most are ugly and worthless, some of the earlier ones are quite beautiful (the National Parks series from the early 20th Century comes to mind).