Honoring Olympic National Park of Washington is the Olympic National Park Silver Bullion Coin which marks the third 2011 issue from the United States Mint America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin™ Program.
The Olympic Silver Bullion Coin features the same designs as the circulating quarter shown above.
Each bullion coin is composed of five ounces of .999 fine silver and feature a likeness of the circulating America the Beautiful Quarters® Program, also from the US Mint. Both series feature five new coins that are released annually which celebrate sites of national interest from around the United States as well as the five US territories. The bullion coin programs began in 2010 and will run until at least 2021.
The silver coins were originally required to be exact duplicates of the smaller quarter dollars and were to have a diameter of three inches and an edge inscription showing the coin’s weight and fineness. The 2010-dated strikes feature these specifications. However, Congress authorized changes to the law which permits the larger coins to be in the likeness of the quarters, have a diameter of between 2.5 to 3.0 inches and allows the omission of the edge inscription. In January 2011, the US Mint announced that their size would remain at 3.0 inches.
These Olympic Bullion Coins were released for sale to the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers on May 23, 2011. At that time, the Mint indicated the minimum mintage for the strike would be 126,700 – subject to change based on demand.
Minted to look similar to the quarter dollars, each silver bullion coin also contains an image of George Washington on their obverse, just like the quarters. The portrait of the first President of the United States was originally designed by John Flanagan and initially used on the 1932 circulating quarter. Also shown are the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
The uncirculated reverse depicts an iconic Roosevelt Elk standing on the river bed of the Hoh River with Mount Olympus in the background. It was designed by AIP Master Designer Susan Gamble and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Michael Gaudioso. Surrounding the image are the inscriptions of OLYMPIC, WASHINGTON, 2011 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
A collectible five ounce uncirculated version of this coin will also be released by the Mint.
Olympic National Park in Washington
The following information was provided about the national park by the United States Mint on the Mint website:
The Olympic National Park quarter is the third to be released in 2011, and the eighth overall in the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. From glistening tide pools to glacier-capped peaks, Olympic National Park protects more than 70 miles of Pacific Ocean beaches and, less than 33 miles away, the glacier-capped 7,980-foot summit of Mount Olympus that is the heart of the Olympic range.
The park consists of coastline, rugged peaks, meadows and lakes, scattered forests and steep forested slopes ending in broad, U-shaped valleys. Geology, climate, isolation, history and sheer size mean this nearly 1 million-acre park protects relatively intact ecosystems, making it a priceless living laboratory and a home for plants and myriad species of animals large and small. It was first established as a national site on February 22, 1897 (29 Stat. 901).
