The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Silver Uncirculated Coin will close out the five strike 2019-dated releases of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin™ Program. Shown on the reverse of the silver uncirculated coin will be a design emblematic of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness of Idaho. At the time of this posting, a release date was not known.
Coins in this series are considered the numismatic versions of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin™ Program. Like those bullion coins, these are each struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver to a diameter of three inches with reverse designs emblematic of sites of national interest from around the United States and its territories.
However, unlike those bullion coins which are struck for investors and sold through the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers, these silver uncirculated coins are created for collectors. As such, the coins are initially sold directly to the public by the Mint.
The reverse design emblematic of the wilderness area will likely not be known until sometime in late 2018 when it is announced by the Mint. Design candidates for the strike should appear earlier that year to allow time for review by the appropriate individuals and groups before a final selection is made by the Secretary of the Treasury. Inscriptions on the reverse will include FRANK CHURCH RIVER OF NO RETURN, IDAHO, 2019 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
These coins are all struck to resemble a series of associated quarter dollars as well. That means the obverse will include a portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan seen on quarters since 1932. The portrait will be surrounded by the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness of Idaho
The United States Congress officially created the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness on January 1, 1980 in the state of Idaho. The wilderness area is large by almost any measure coming in at 2,366,757 acres and is considered the largest protected wilderness in the continental United States.
It was named after the Salmon River which runs through it that has the nickname of the River of No Return. It is also dedicated to former US Senator Frank Church who served the state of Idaho and is largely responsible for the protection of the wilderness.
