The Chickasaw National Recreation Area Silver Bullion Coin honors the site located in Oklahoma and is the final of five 2011-dated strikes in the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin™ Program. These coins were released for sale to the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers on July 18, 2011.
The Chickasaw National Recreation Area Silver Bullion Coin features the same designs as the circulating quarter version, shown above.
The network purchases the bullion coins in large lots (100 coin minimums for this strike) for the cost of the precious metal they contain plus a premium of $9.75 to cover the Mint’s production and distribution costs. They then resell them to the public for an additional small premium above the current spot price of the silver contained within them. The Mint uses this procedure for all of its bullion products as a means to insure the bullion coins are easily available to the public at as close to near-market prices as possible.
Each silver bullion coin is produced from five ounces of .999 fine silver and feature a reverse design showcasing the beauty found in multiple locations of the United States. One location was selected to be honored from each state, the District of Columbia and the five US territories, for a total of fifty-six coins to be released in the series.
In fact, the bullion coin designs are similar to those found on another series of coins from the US Mint — the America the Beautiful Quarters®. As such, the obverse of each coin in both programs contain a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States. The portrait was originally designed by John Flanagan and first used on the 1932 circulating quarter dollar. It has been featured on the quarter dollar ever since, in one form or another. Surrounding Washington are the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
The reverse of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area bullion coin contains an image of the Lincoln Bridge, which is found within the park. The bridge is built of limestone and was dedicated in 1909 on the bicentennial of the birth of the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln. Surrounding the design are the inscriptions of CHICKASAW, OKLAHOMA, 2011 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The reverse was designed by AIP Master Designer Donna Weaver and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Jim Licaretz.
A collectible five ounce silver uncirculated version of this coin will also be released by the US Mint.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area of Oklahoma
The following information was provided about the recreation area by the United States Mint on the Mint website:
The Chickasaw National Recreation Area quarter is the fifth released in 2011 and the 10th overall in the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. The 7th national park established in the U.S., the park is unique in that it was founded through the support of an Indian tribe, the Chickasaw Nation.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area exists as a part of the national park system to provide for the protection of the area’s unique resources, springs, streams, lakes and other natural features; to protect and interpret its cultural history, historic landscapes and structures; to commemorate the Chickasaw Nation; and to provide for public education, appreciation and recreational use and enjoyment of those resources. It was originally established as a national site on July 1, 1902 (32 Stat. 641).
