The last of five 2012 strikes of the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins™ Program will be the Denali National Park Silver Bullion Coin. This specific strike will feature a reverse design emblematic of Denali National Park found in the state of Alaska. The US Mint has not announced a release date as of this posting.
Congress authorized these bullion coins as part of the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 which was signed into law as Public Law 110-456 by President George W. Bush on December 23, 2008. The legislation requires that these bullion coins appear similar to the associated America the Beautiful Quarter® which were also authorized as part of the series.
Thus both the Denali Silver Bullion Coin and the Denali National Park Quarter will contain a reverse emblematic of the park found in Alaska. Surrounding the design will be the inscriptions of DENALI, ALASKA, 2012 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
Obverse designs of both series of coins will feature the same portrait of George Washington that has been seen in one form or another on the quarter dollars since 1932. This portrait was originally designed by John Flanagan. Inscriptions on the obverse will include UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
The US Mint will also be striking an associated Denali Silver Uncirculated Coin which will resemble the aforementioned two strikes. The uncirculated coin will also be composed of five ounces of silver, but where the bullion coins are designed for investors, these uncirculated strikes are meant for collectors.
Denali National Park in Alaska
Congress created Mount McKinley National Park in Alaska on February 26, 1917 as the precursor to the present day park. An associated Denali National Monument was created several decades later in 1978. Finally, the two were joined in 1980 and together were named Denali National Park.
Both Denali and Mount McKinley refer to the same massive mountain found within the park. However, Denali better reflects the wishes of the local citizens which is what drove the name change.
