Appearing as the third release in 2014 of a series will be the Arches National Park Silver Uncirculated Coin. Shown on the reverse of the silver uncirculated coin will be a design emblematic of Arches National Park found in the state of Utah. At the time of this posting, an official release date was not known.
This strike will also mark the twenty-third issue of the series which is known as the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin™ Program. Like the other America the Beautiful Silver Coins, each Arches National Park Coin will be struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver and feature a diameter of three inches.
The Secretary of the Treasury authorized the uncirculated coin program under the authority granted him in 31 U.S.C. §5111(a) (3) to create and sell items of numismatic interest. These uncirculated coins are considered the numismatic versions of the Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins™, and as such, feature similar specifications and designs as those bullion strikes.
Those designs include the same obverse imagery on all of the coins. That obverse includes the John Flanagan portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States. Flanagan first created the portrait for use on the 1932 circulating quarter dollar and it still is in use on the quarters today. Surrounding the portrait will be the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
The reverse of the Arches Coin will contain the design honoring the national park. That design will also feature the inscriptions of ARCHES, UTAH, 2014 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. On the edge of the coin will be the inscription of .999 FINE SILVER 5.0 OUNCE.
Arches National Park in Utah
Arches National Park of Utah was originally established as a national monument on April 12, 1929 by President Herbert Hoover. The monument consisted of two smaller sections which were not connected together. Its size and designation was changed a few times over the next several decades.
All of those changes sought to preserve the many sandstone arches which are now found within the boundaries of the 76,679 acres park. This includes the famous Delicate Arch along with over 2,000 other arches.
