The United States Mint Coins and Medals Program

Connecting America through Coins

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1-800-USA-MINT
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Site Selection & Design Criteria

Overview

The America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Series Act of 2008 provides for designs to be submitted in accordance with the design selection and approval process developed by, and in sole discretion of, the Secretary of the Treasury.

In General

The designs on the coins issued during this program shall be emblematic of one national site in each host jurisdiction (State/District of Columbia/Territory). The program will honor the national park or other national site in each host jurisdiction deemed most appropriate in terms of natural or historic significance.

Standards

Selected sites must be ones that can reasonably be expected to translate into dignified designs of which the citizens of the United States can be proud (for example, must be distinctive and readily recognizable as honoring that site).
Selected sites must be ones that can reasonably be expected to translate into designs that are neither frivolous nor inappropriate. Inappropriate designs include, but are not limited to, those bearing logos or depictions of specific commercial, private, educational, civic, religious, sports, or other organizations whose membership or ownership is not universal.
Designs must not include any head-and-shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, nor can designs include a portrait of a living person. Designs must not include an outline or map of a host jurisdiction.
Designs can be based on the same theme as used in the United States Mint's 50 State Quarters® Program, or the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Quarters Program, but cannot be the same design.

Order & Rate

The national site quarter-dollars will be issued at a rate of five new designs each year in the order in which the selected sites were first established as a national site.