The Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve Silver Bullion Coin will be the third of five US Mint releases in 2020 as part of the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin™ Program. Showcased on the reverse of the silver bullion coin will be a design emblematic of Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve found in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A release date for the coin was not known at the time of this posting.
Coins of this series were authorized by Congress as part of the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 which became Public Law 1110-456. Under that law, a series of circulating quarter dollars was also created which actually serves as the design basis for this series of silver bullion coins. However, the bullion coins feature much different specifications than those quarters since they are each composed of five ounces of .999 fine silver and a diameter of three inches.
The obverse and reverse imagery, however, is similar including a portrait of George Washington which is found on the obverse of all of the America the Beautiful related coins. This image of the first President of the United States was initially created by John Flanagan for use on the 1932 circulating quarter and has been seen on the quarters in one form or another ever since. Obverse inscriptions will include UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
Shown on the reverse of the silver bullion coin will be a design emblematic of Salt River Bay. The US Mint should release the final design information sometime in late 2019 after it has been selected by the Treasury Secretary from several design candidates presented by the Mint. Reverse inscriptions should include SALT RIVER BAY, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, 2020 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
Since the obverse and reverse are struck to resemble the associated quarter, an edge inscription is used to indicate the silver bullion coins weight and fineness.
Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve of the U.S. Virgin Islands
The United States Congress established Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve on February 24, 1992 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It consists of approximately 945 acres including both land and marine environments.
In addition to preserving the natural beauty of the region, the park also boasts the only known location where a member of the Columbus Expedition actually set foot on ground now controlled by the United States.
