Tuesday, December 20, 2011 the United States Mint made available the Chickasaw Quarter Three-Coin Set for $14.95. The numismatic product is the tenth released in the series as each have followed coin launches from the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program which debuted in 2010.
The set’s quarters feature the same design since they honor Oklahoma’s Chickasaw National Recreation Area — an American national site that was established on July 1, 1902. The three versions of the coins were produced specifically for collectors with:
- a proof 25c piece from the United States Mint at San Francisco
- an uncirculated 25c piece from the United States Mint at Philadelphia, and
- an uncirculated 25c piece from the United States Mint at Denver
Designed by Donna Weaver and sculpted by Jim Licaretz, the quarters’ reverse depict the popular limestone "Lincoln Bridge" which was dedicated in 1909 to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s 100th birthday. Reverse inscriptions include CHICKASAW, OKLAHOMA, 2011 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
A brief description of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area is provided on the plastic card holding the coins, and a Certificate of Authenticity is printed on the back of the packaging.
Produced without special finishes and struck with less force resulting in softer detail, circulation quality Chickasaw quarters were released into the public by the Federal Reserve Bank system on November 14, 2011. That was also the day that the United States Mint began offering them in bags and rolls. An official quarter launch ceremony was held Wednesday, November 16 at the Vendome Well located inside the Chickasaw National Recreational Area near Sulfur, Oklahoma.
Mintages, Latest U.S. Mint Sales Figures and Order Details
Remarkably, the United States Mint indicated in its November production figures that a total of 143,200,000 Chickasaw quarters have been minted for circulation, a number that is far greater than any other issue thus far in the America the Beautiful Quarters series. More than half of that mintage came from the Philadelphia Mint at 73,800,000. The Denver Mint produced the other 69,400,000 strikes. As a comparison, the second most produced coin in the series was the Grand Canyon America the Beautiful quarter which had a combined mintage of 70,200,000.
As of this writing, interested buyers are still able to order the previously issued sets at the same $14.95 price. There is a relatively strong buying base for three-coin sets. According to the most recent figures released by the United States Mint as of Monday, December 12, the Yellowstone set has the highest sales. Sorted by the order of their release, the following amounts are how many sets have been purchased:
- 19,731 of the Hot Springs Quarters Three-Coin Set,
- 20,079 of the Yellowstone Quarters Three-Coin Set,
- 17,668 of the Yosemite Quarters Three-Coin Set,
- 17,194 of the Grand Canyon Quarters Three-Coin Set,
- 14,828 of the Mount Hood Quarters Three-Coin Set,
- 17,098 of the Gettysburg Quarters Three-Coin Set,
- 14,573 of the Glacier Quarters Three-Coin Set,
- 13,495 of the Olympic Quarters Three-Coin Set, and
- 13,182 of the Vicksburg Quarters Three-Coin Set.
Obtaining any of the above products is easy. All ten sets are available on the United States Mint website (www.usmint.gov/catalog) and via their customer service department at the toll free number 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). A $4.95 shipping and handling charge applies to all domestic orders.