Collector’s Await America the Beautiful Quarter Designs

With the new year already underway, collector's thoughts are shifting to 2010 coin releases. The year will include the debut of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, which will feature rotating reverse designs depicting National Parks and other National Sites from each state, territory, and the District of Columbia. The designs and release dates for the first five quarters to be issued during 2010 remain unknown, although some preliminary details are starting to emerge.

Design candidate for Grand Canyon Quarter. Final design unknown.

Design candidates for the 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters had previously been released by the United States Mint in September 2009. These consisted of three or four different designs depicting each of the five sites to be featured. The design candidates were reviewed by the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). The suggestions and comments from the CFA and CCAC were published in October 2009.

Based on the published design selection procedures, the candidates designs were subject to additional levels of review by the Secretary of the Interior, the chief executive of the host jurisdiction, and the federal entity with management or conservancy of the site. The Director of the United States Mint will take into consideration the recommendations and comments of the previous reviews and make an official recommendation to the Secretary of the Treasury, who will make the final decision.

The designs for the first five America the Beautiful Quarters are expected to be revealed at a special ceremony held in February. The exact date and details of the ceremony remain unknown. A release date for the first quarter featuring Hot Springs National Park also remains unknown. Based on the US Mint's preliminary product schedule, which generally corresponds to circulation releaes dates, the release might take place during April.

The designs for the last year's District of Columbia and United States Territories Program had been announced on December 15, 2008. The six quarters included in the program featured unique reverse designs with images emblematic of the District of Columbia and each of the Territories. The quarters were issued throughout 2008 with the first coin released into circulation on January 26, 2009.