America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins
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 duplicate exactly—though enlarged—each of the America the Beautiful Quarters. They have been issued since 2010 and will continue to be issued until at least 2021. The coins are 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.
Differences between coin and bullion version
There are four main differences between the coin version (for collectors) and the bullion version (for investors).
The main one is about the mint mark: under the "In God we trust" inscription there is a letter in the collectors version (P for Philadelphia, S if it's proof uncirculated); in the investors version this letter is not present.
in the collector version press drums should be more polished, so it will result in a more detailed and precise minting
collector version has an uncirculated matte finish, made by vapor blast; investor version, on the contrary has a brilliant finish
collector version comes with a certificate of authenticity from the mint and inside a box; investor version, conversely, comes as it is
As of the last part of 2013, there are not considerable price differences between the two versions.
The obverse of all the coins will depict George Washington in a restored version of the portrait created by John Flanagan for the 1932 Washington Quarter, while the reverse is set to feature five new designs annually (one in 2021), each depicting a national park or national site (one from each state, the federal district, and each 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.
REF
Coins released to date in the Series
Year State/territory Site Mintage
2010 Arkansas Hot Springs National Park
2010 Wyoming Yellowstone National Park
2010 California Yosemite National Park
2010 Arizona Grand Canyon National Park
2010 Oregon Mount Hood National Forest
2011 Pennsylvania Gettysburg National Military Park
2011 Montana Glacier National Park
2011 Washington Olympic National Park
2011 Mississippi Vicksburg National Military Park
2011 Oklahoma Chickasaw National Recreation Area
2012 Puerto Rico El Yunque National Forest
2012 New Mexico Chaco Culture National Historical Park
2012 Maine Acadia National Park
2012 Hawai'i Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
2012 Alaska Denali National Park
2013 New Hampshire White Mountain National Forest
2013 Ohio Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
2013 Nevada Great Basin National Park
2013 Maryland Fort McHenry National Monument
2013 South Dakota Mount Rushmore National Memorial
2014 Tennessee Great Smoky Mountains National Park
2014 Virginia Shenandoah National Park
2014 Utah Arches National Park
2014 Colorado Great Sand Dunes National Park
2014 Florida Everglades National Park
US 2014 P ATB - Shenandoah National Park ( S25C )
