2020-2021 Quarter and 5 Oz Coin Designs Selected

The United States Mint unveiled the official designs for the 2020 and 2021 America the Beautiful quarter dollars and companion five-ounce silver coins honoring sites in American Samoa, Connecticut, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Kansas and Alabama.

They represent the very last designs from the U.S. Mint’s series of America the Beautiful coins which celebrates national parks and sites throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the 5 U.S. territories. The six locations honored from 2020 to 2021 include:

• National Park of American Samoa in American Samoa (2020),
• Weir Farm National Historic Site in Connecticut (2020),
• Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve in U.S. Virgin Islands (2020),
• Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Vermont (2020),
• Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas (2020), and
• Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama (2021).

Before the final designs for these six sites became official, the Mint in 2018 submitted sixty-three candidates to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) for review. On Tuesday, Aug. 13, the Mint announced the six winning designs at the ANA’s World’s Fair of Money in Rosemont, Illinois.

Images of the Quarter and 5oz Coin Reverse Designs

Artists in the Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) created each of the final designs, which were then sculpted by Mint Sculptor-Engravers. Mint-published line art images and descriptions of them follow.

2020 – National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)

Designer: Richard Masters
Sculptor-Engraver: Phebe Hemphill

Mr. Masters’ design depicts a Samoan Fruit Bat mother hanging in a tree with her pup evoking the remarkable care and energy that this species puts into their offspring. The design is intended to promote awareness of the species’ threatened status due to habitat loss and commercial hunting. The National Park of American Samoa is the only park in the United States that is home to the Samoan Fruit Bat. Inscriptions are "NATIONAL PARK," "AMERICAN SAMOA," "2020," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."

2020 – Weir Farm National Historic Site (Connecticut)

Designer: Justin Kunz
Sculptor-Engraver: Phebe Hemphill

Mr. Kunz’s design portrays an artist, wearing a painter’s smock, painting outside Julian Alden Weir’s studio at Weir Farm. It is inspired by various images of the studio and Weir’s paintings created on the property, as well as descriptions of Weir and his fellow artist’s creative inspiration from the rural environment. The inscription "A NATIONAL PARK FOR ART" is included. Additional inscriptions are "WEIR FARM," "CONNECTICUT," "2020," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."

2020 – Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve (U.S. Virgin Islands)

Designer: Richard Masters
Sculptor-Engraver: Joseph Menna

Mr. Masters’ design depicts a red mangrove tree in an early stage of its life cycle, as it evolves from a very small plant to an adult tree. The design brings awareness to the park’s endangered mangrove forests and the unique and delicate nature of how the species reproduces in salt water. Inscriptions include "SALT RIVER BAY," "U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS," "2020," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."

2020 – Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (Vermont)

Designer: Donna Weaver
Sculptor-Engraver: Michael Gaudioso

Ms. Weaver’s design depicts a young girl completing the planting of a Norway spruce seedling near an established tree, continuing the life cycle of the forest. The child represents conservationists seeking to maintain a sustainable forest for future enjoyment and education. The inscription "LAND STEWARDSHIP" anchors the design. Additional inscriptions are "MARSH-BILLINGS-ROCKEFELLER," "VERMONT," "2020," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."

2020 – Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (Kansas)

Designer: Emily Damstra
Sculptor-Engraver: Renata Gordon

Ms. Damstra’s design depicts a skyward view of a Regal Fritillary butterfly against a backdrop of Big Bluestem and Indian grasses, iconic to Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Inscriptions are "TALLGRASS PRAIRIE," "KANSAS," "2020," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."

2021 – Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (Alabama)

Designer: Chris Costello
Sculptor-Engraver: Phebe Hemphill

Mr. Costello’s design depicts a Tuskegee Airman suiting up to join the fight during World War II with the Moton Field control tower in the background. The pilot looks upward with pride and confidence as two P-51 Mustangs pass overhead. The inscription "THEY FOUGHT TWO WARS" is arced across the top as a reference to the dual battles the Tuskegee Airmen fought—fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home. Inscriptions are "TUSKEGEE AIRMEN," "ALABAMA," "2021," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."

Obverse Design

America the Beautiful coinage share the same obverse design, a portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan. This image has been on quarter-dollars since 1932. The portrait underwent digital enhancements in 2010 to bring out more of the beauty of the original model.