The Hot Springs National Park Silver Bullion Coin is the very first release in the United States Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins Program. It honors Hot Springs National Park located in the state of Arkansas.
Authorized by Public Law 110-456, the five ounce .999 fine silver bullion coin was released on December 10, 2010. Like all United States Mint investment-grade bullion products, the Hot Springs National Park Silver Bullion Coin was released to authorized distributors who resell to coin dealers, precious metals sellers and other buyers.
Demand for the debut releases of the silver bullion coin program was high. Within just three weeks of their initial availability, authorized purchasers had ordered the entire mintage of 33,000 of the Hot Springs Bullion Coins.
The obverse or heads of the silver bullion coin features a portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan, restored to bring out subtle details and the beauty of the original model. Inscriptions on the obverse include UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
The reverse or tails side the coin depicts the facade of the Hot Springs National Park headquarters building with a fountain in the foreground. Inscriptions include HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. It was designed by Don Everhart and sculpted by Joseph Menna.
In addition to the bullion coin, the United States Mint released a version for collectors in an uncirculated finish. Denoted as the Hot Springs National Park Silver Uncirculated Coin, the United States Mint released the collector strike on April 28, 2011 with a more limited mintage of only 27,000.
Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas
The following information was provided about the Arkansas national park by the United States Mint during the launch of the companion Hot Springs America the Beautiful Quarter:
Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, destination of the Dunbar-Hunter Expedition sent by President Thomas Jefferson in 1804, features prehistoric American Indian quarries. A bustling town grew up around the hot springs to provide health services. Hot Springs was first established as a national site on April 20, 1832 (4 Stat. 505), to conserve the water from the 47 springs that emerge from Hot Springs Mountain and to ensure that water was made available for drinking and therapy. It has an area of 5,400 acres, and is under federal jurisdiction of the National Park Service.
