2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Products

The America the Beautiful Quarters Program kicks off a new 11-year series of commemorative coins beginning in 2010. With the US Mint’s preliminary 2010 schedule now available and by reviewing already published offerings from its subscription service, tentative information on many of the new 2010 quarter products and their prices is available for review.

Similar to the 50 States Quarters Program and the 2009 D.C. & U.S. Territories Quarters Program, the new series features five different annual quarter designs.

These themes, with 2010 design candidates already completed and evaluated by the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), honor national parks and national sites. Featured in 2010, and in the order they will be issued are the:

• Hot Springs National Park Quarter – April release
• Yellowstone National Park Quarter – June release
• Yosemite National Park Quarter – July/August release
• Grand Canyon National Park Quarter – September release
• Mount Hood National Forest Site Quarter – November release

As of this writing, the United States Mint has listed 9 product categories for 2010 that either feature the coins exclusively, or include them. The following table provides an overview of their general release dates and tentative prices:

A brief overview of each product follows.

• The 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Proof Set includes clad versions of each of the five quarters. Each bears the "S" mint mark denoting production at the US Mint at San Francisco. As proofs, the coins uniquely feature brilliant, mirror-like surfaces and sharp detail. The coins are composed of 91.67 percent copper, 8.33 percent nickel.

• The 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set is exactly like the clad version, with the exception that the five commemoratives are minted in 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.

• 2010 America the Beautiful Quarter Two-Roll Sets are issued following the release of each quarter. Each set includes 80 circulation strike quarter-dollars, with one roll containing 40 coins with the Philadelphia "P" mint mark and the other roll with the Denver "D" mint mark. At a price point of $32.95, the premiums for each set come in at $12.95.

• 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters 100-Coin Bags (P) contain circulation strikes of the quarters minted in Philadelphia. At a $32.95 price, the premiums for each bag is $7.95.

• 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters 100-Coin Bags (D) contain circulation strikes of the quarter-dollars minted in Denver.

• 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters 100-Coin Bags (P&D) simply offer the opportunity to purchase the quarter bags from Philadelphia and Denver as one shopping cart item. There is no savings since the $65.90 price is double that of a single bag.

• The United States Mint Proof Set® includes clad versions of each of the five 2010 quarters, the four Presidential $1 coins, the 2010 Native American $1 coin, the 2010 Lincoln cent, the Jefferson nickel, the Roosevelt dime, and the Kennedy half-dollar. The 14 coins each bear the San Francisco "S" mint mark, and are struck in proof condition. The price is $29.95.

• The United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set® comes in at $27.95. The product, which most numismatists will generally refer to simply as the 2010 Mint Set, includes an array of 28 coins that are versions of the circulating coins of the year. However, each is struck in uncirculated condition, using burnished blanks that result in a satin like finish. 14 of the coins are minted in Denver and the remaining are struck in Philadelphia.

• The United States Mint Silver Proof Set® is like the clad set, with the exception that the dime, half-dollar and five quarters are struck in 90% silver. The price is $52.95, but the value of silver within the coins generally accounts for almost half of the cost.

Finally, related products to the new quarters will also be sold by the Mint. Notably on this list are the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins. These enormous five ounce, .999 fine silver coins are replicas of the new quarter designs. Releases dates have yet to be set for them. The Mint states they “will be available for sale during the year in which its corresponding circulating quarter-dollar coin is issued.”

For a summary of other US Mint silver product releases for the year, also see US Mint 2010 Silver Product Schedule.