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The America the Beautiful Quarters program is the sequel to the 50 States Quarters program — which was popular during its 1999 through 2008 run.
The America the Beautiful Quarters series consists of 56 “new” quarters that honor one national park or historic monument in each of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the 5 U.S. territories.
The coins (also called the National Parks and Monuments quarters and National Parks quarters) are being released over 11 years — from 2010 through 2021.
The basis of deciding when each new quarter is released in the America the Beautiful quarters series hinges on when each site honored became recognized as a national park.
If the popularity of the 50 state quarter series was any indication of how a coin series with ever-changing designs can excite the public, then there is a wonderful chance that the National Park Quarter series will inspire a whole new generation of coin collectors.
What Makes This Coin Program So Unique?
If the America the Beautiful Quarters program sounds ambitious to you, then you’re exactly right — it’s actually the largest U.S. coin design program to date, with 56 planned designs.
While some numismatists reading this might be saying, “Hey, wait a minute, there were 56 quarters in the ‘States’ program, too…”
Well, not exactly. The 50 States Quarters program really did consist of just 50 quarters, with the last officially being the Hawaii quarter in 2008.
The 6 quarters issued in 2009 that honor Washington DC, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands were actually struck as part of the separate D.C. & U.S. Territories Quarters series.
While the 50 States Quarters, D.C. & Territories Quarters, and America the Beautiful Quarters have many similarities, only 3 of the National Parks quarters depict landmarks that were included among the 50 States Quarters:
- The Grand Canyon in Arizona
- Yosemite National Park in California
- Mount Rushmore in South Dakota
Even in the case of the “repeats,” different designs will be incorporated on those new coins, providing a fresh numismatic look for these beloved national landmarks.
Will There Be 56 New Quarter Designs Coming Again In 2022?
Clearly, the United States quarter will continue being used as a canvas for many new coin designs for years to come.
It’s even possible that once the America the Beautiful Quarter series honors its 56th coin in 2021, the U.S. Mint might continue with another run of 56 more designs that continue until 2032!
You see, the wording in America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act (H.R.6184), which President George W. Bush signed into law on December 23, 2008, actually allows the program to renew for a second time.
That means, if renewed, the nation will have ever-changing quarter designs until at least 2021 — and perhaps into the 2030s.
What Will U.S. Quarters Look Like After This Series Ends?
You may be curious about what design will appear on the U.S. quarter after the National Park Quarter series has been completed.
So far, plans are to return to the same portrait of Washington that appeared on the quarter before the 50 State Quarters design in 1999.
However, the heraldic eagle that so proudly adorned the reverse (tail’s side) from 1932 to 1998 may never fly on the quarter again — because a design showing Washington crossing the Delaware River before the Battle of Trenton is slated to become the reverse image once the National Park Quarter series ends.
Who knows… we may never again see a new Washington quarter with the classic and widely familiar heraldic eagle reverse.
National Park Quarter Designs
Each National Park Quarter has an obverse featuring George Washington and a reverse design honoring a national park.
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee initially recommended replacing George Washington with an image of President Theodore Roosevelt during the National Park Quarter program’s run.
This wasn’t surprising — especially since Roosevelt was a pioneer in setting aside massive amounts of land to preserve our nation’s forests and wildlife.
However, it was decided that the Washington design would remain on the obverse (head’s side) of America the Beautiful quarters.
A List Of All 56 Quarters In The Program
Following is a rundown of the different America the Beautiful Quarter designs and release years, in the order they are being struck.
Each quarter is being released in the order that the park or monument honored in the design was recognized as a national site.
NOTE: While Hot Springs National Park was the earliest to be established and be honored in the America the Beautiful Quarters program, the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama was established November 6, 1998. That quarter is slated to be released in 2021.
2010 National Park Quarters
- Arkansas quarter: Hot Springs National Park, established April 20, 1832; coin released April 19, 2010
- Wyoming quarter: Yellowstone National Park, established March 1, 1872; coin released June 1, 2010
- California quarter: Yosemite National Park, established October 1, 1890; coin released July 26, 2010
- Arizona quarter: Grand Canyon National Park, established February 20, 1893; coin released September 20, 2010
- Oregon quarter: Mount Hood National Forest, established September 28, 1893; coin released November 15, 2010
2011 National Park Quarters
- Pennsylvania quarter: Gettysburg National Military Park, established February 11, 1895; coin released January 24, 2011
- Montana quarter: Glacier National Park, established February 22, 1897; coin released April 4, 2011
- Washington quarter: Olympic National Park, established February 22, 1897; coin released June 13, 2011
- Mississippi quarter: Vicksburg National Park, established February 21, 1899; coin released August 29, 2011
- Oklahoma quarter: Chickasaw National Recreation Area, established July 1, 1902; coin released November 14, 2011
2012 National Park Quarters
- Puerto Rico quarter: El Yunque National Forest, established January 17, 1903; coin released January 23, 2012
- New Mexico quarter: Chaco Culture National Historical Park, established March 11, 1907; coin released April 2, 2012
- Maine quarter: Acadia National Park, established July 8, 1916; coin released Jun 11, 2012
- Hawaii quarter: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, established August 1, 1916; coin released August 27, 2012
- Alaska quarter: Denali National Park, established February 26, 1917; coin released November 5, 2012
2013 National Park Quarters
- New Hampshire quarter: White Mountain National Forest, established May 16, 1918; coin released January 28, 2013
- Ohio quarter: Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, established March 3, 1919; coin released April 1, 2013
- Nevada quarter: Great Basin National Park, established January 24, 1922; coin released June 10, 2013
- Maryland quarter: Fort McHenry National Monument, established March 3, 1925; coin released August 26, 2013
- South Dakota quarter: Mount Rushmore National Memorial, established March 3, 1925; coin released November 4, 2013
2014 National Park Quarters
- Tennessee quarter: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, established May 22, 1926; coin released January 27, 2014
- Virginia quarter: Shenandoah National Park, established May 22, 1926; coin released March 31, 2014
- Utah quarter: Arches National Park, established April 12, 1929; coin released June 6, 2014
- Colorado quarter: Great Sand Dunes National Park, established March 17, 1932; coin released August 25, 2014
- Florida quarter: Everglades National Park, established May 30, 1934; coin released November 3, 2014
2015 National Park Quarters
- Nebraska quarter: Homestead National Monument of America, established March 19, 1936; coin released February 5, 2015
- Louisiana quarter: Kisatchie National Forest, established June 3, 1936; coin released April 13, 2015
- North Carolina quarter: Blue Ridge Parkway, established June 30, 1936; coin released June 22, 2015
- Delaware quarter: Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, established June 22, 1937; coin released September 14, 2015
- New York quarter: Saratoga National Historical Park, established June 1, 1938; coin released November 16, 2015
2016 National Park Quarters
- Illinois quarter: Shawnee National Forest, established September 6, 1939; coin released February 1, 2016
- Kentucky quarter: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, established June 11, 1940; coin released April 4, 2016
- West Virginia quarter: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, established June 30, 1944; coin released June 6, 2016
- North Dakota quarter: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, established February 25, 1946; coin released August 29, 2016
- South Carolina quarter: Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument), established April 28, 1948; coin released November 14, 2016
2017 National Park Quarters
- Iowa quarter: Effigy Mounds National Monument, established October 25, 1949; coin released February 6, 2017
- District of Columbia quarter: Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, established September 5, 1962; coin released April 3, 2017
- Missouri quarter: Ozark National Scenic Riverways, established August 27, 1964; coin released June 5, 2017
- New Jersey quarter: Ellis Island National Monument (Statue of Liberty), established May 11, 1965; coin released August 8, 2017
- Indiana quarter: George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, established July 23, 1966; coin released November 13, 2017
2018 National Park Quarters
- Michigan quarter: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, established October 15, 1966; coin released February 5, 2018
- Wisconsin quarter: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, established September 26, 1970; coin released April 9, 2018
- Minnesota quarter: Voyageurs National Park, established January 8, 1971; coin released June 11, 2018
- Georgia quarter: Cumberland Island National Seashore, established October 23, 1972; coin released August 27, 2018
- Rhode Island quarter: Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, established April 12, 1973; coin released November 13, 2018
2019 National Park Quarters
- Massachusetts quarter: Lowell National Historical Park, established June 5, 1978; coin released February 4, 2009
- Northern Mariana Islands quarter: American Memorial Park, established August 18, 1978; coin released April 1, 2019
- Guam quarter: War in the Pacific National Historical Park, established August 18, 1978; coin released June 3, 2019
- Texas quarter: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, established November 10, 1978; coin released August 26, 2019
- Idaho quarter: Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, established July 23, 1980; coin released November 14, 2019
2020 National Park Quarters
- American Samoa quarter: National Park of American Samoa, established October 31, 1988; coin released February 3, 2020
- Connecticut quarter: Weir Farm National Historic Site, established October 31, 1990; coin released April 6, 2020
- U.S. Virgin Islands quarter: Salt River Bay National Historical Park, established February 24, 1992; coin released June 1, 2020
- Vermont quarter: Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, established August 26, 1992; coin released August 31, 2020
- Kansas quarter: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, established November 12, 1996; coin released November 16, 2020
2021 National Park Quarters
- Alabama quarter: Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, established November 6, 1998; coin released May 1, 2021
NOTE: In addition to each of the quarters being released, companion, 5-ounce silver bullion coins are also being released bearing the same designs as on the quarters. The America the Beautiful silver coins are being released in the same order as their respective quarter designs.
Coin Collecting At Its Best
Of course, not to be forgotten amid the flurry of new quarter designs coming out of the U.S. Mint every 10 weeks or so is the swarm of new collectors who will be coming into coin collecting thanks to interest in the new quarters.
The 50 States Quarters program brought millions of new collectors into the fold. It is likely the hobby will continue to see similar numbers of people entering into coin collecting (or returning after many years away), thanks to the America the Beautiful Quarters program’s unique quarters.
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