In 2018, the US Mint will release the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Silver Bullion Coin as the second issue that year of the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin™ Program. The reverse of the silver bullion coin will contain a design showcasing a portion of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan. A release date for the coin was not known at the time of this posting.
This silver bullion coin is struck to resemble the Pictured Rocks Quarter which the US Mint will issue as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program. In fact, all of these silver bullion coins feature designs originally created for the associated quarters as they are required to by the law that authorized both series – the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 which became Public Law 110-456.
That same law initially required that these bullion coins be struck from five ounces of .999 silver to a diameter of three inches. It further instructed that the coins be initially sold through the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers with the National Park Service also able to obtain some of the coins to be eventually sold to the public.
Struck to resemble the quarters, the obverse of each strike will contain a portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan just like circulating quarter dollars have done since 1932. This portrait will be surrounded by the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
The reverse will contain the design emblematic of the selected site of national interest, in this case Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The reverse design will also include the inscriptions of PICTURED ROCKS, MICHIGAN, 2018 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is found along the upper peninsula of the state of Michigan. It was officially established by Congress on October 15, 1966 and runs for forty-two miles along the shore of Lake Superior.
The national lakeshore takes its name from a 15-mile stretch of shoreline containing colorful sandstone cliffs. These cliffs can reach heights of up to 200 feet above lake level. Visitors to the area should consider water transportation for the best viewing of the lakeshore.
