Each El Yunque National Forest Silver Uncirculated Coin will be struck as part of the first of five 2012 releases of five ounce collectible coins from the United States Mint. Shown on the reverse of the strike will be a design honoring El Yunque National Forest of Puerto Rico. The US Mint has not announced a release date for this strike as of this posting.
These coins are part of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Five Ounce Uncirculated Coin Program which features the numismatic versions of the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins™. Coins of both series are struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver featuring reverse designs honoring different sites of national interest from around the United States and its territories.
The law that authorized the associated bullion coins (America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 – Public Law 110-456) dictated that a total of fifty-six would be created with one coin honoring one site from each state as well as the District of Columbia and the five US Territories. This will create a total of fifty-six coins per program with each scheduled to feature five per year from their debut in 2010 until the last strikes appears in 2021.
Shown on the reverse of the El Yunque Coin will be a design emblematic of the forest. Also included will be the appropriate inscriptions like EL YUNQUE, PUERTO RICO, 2012 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
The obverse of each strike will contain the same portrait of George Washington that is featured on the circulating America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. This portrait was originally designed by John Flanagan. Also shown will be the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico
El Yunque National Forest is found in the United States territory of Puerto Rico. The site is unique among the national forest system in that it is the only tropical rain forest to be found within the United States. Previously the site had been known as the Luquillo National Forest and the Caribbean National Forest, but its name was officially changed in 2007 to better reflect the wishes of the local citizens.
Up to 240 inches of rain per year can fall on the forest which is responsible for the dense growth found in the area. This includes hundreds of species of trees, shrubs and other plants along with a numerous variety of animal life.
Visitors to the forest will want to stop by the El Portal Rain Forest Center to receive an introduction to the forest along with education about the concerns of those charged with protecting it.
