The Yosemite National Park Silver Uncirculated Coin honors Yosemite National Park of California. It is the third in a series of collectible five ounce silver coins produced by the United States Mint.
Each uncirculated coin is struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver and features a reverse design emblematic of a selected site of national interest from around the United States, the District of Columbia and the five US territories. Fifty-six locations will be represented in the program, with five struck annually from 2010 until completed in 2021. The 2010-dated coins have a diameter of three inches which was a specification initially required of the companion bullion pieces. That specification has since been changed to between 2.5 and 3.0 inches, but the Mint has opted to keep the original diameter for subsequent strikes.
The United States Mint released the Yosemite Silver Uncirculated Coin on June 9, 2011. Initial demand was strong accounting for over 75% of the entire mintage of 27,000 in just four days of availability. Ten days after its release, a waiting list notice was posted on the Mint’s website for the coins, however, this turned out to be in error. The notice was later removed and the strikes were once again available for ordering. A final sell-out did not occur until mid-July when the waiting list notice returned. Each coin sold for $279.95, plus the Mint’s standard shipping and handling charge of $4.95 per order.
The uncirculated coin is the collector grade version of the same piece released under the United States Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins Program. As such, it has a portrait of George Washington on their obverse just like all the other bullion coins and just like the circulating quarter dollars on which both silver coin programs are based. The portrait of the first President of the United States was originally completed by John Flanagan. Also included are the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
The uncirculated coin reverse features a design showcasing a massive granite monolith found in Yosemite National Park known as El Capitan which rises over 3,000 feet from the valley floor below. The design is the work of Joseph Menna and was sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. Included as well are the inscriptions of YOSEMITE, CALIFORNIA, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
Yosemite National Park in California
Yosemite National Park was initially set aside for public use by the Yosemite Grant signed by President Abraham Lincoln on June 30, 1864. He signed the bill protecting the area without ever having seen the wonders it holds. Unfortunately, the area was still abused in some regards leading to its creation as a national park on October 1, 1890.
The park today consists of 761,268 acres, although most of the estimated 3 million plus annual visitors only spend their time in the Yosemite Valley. The valley is 8 miles long and up to a mile deep and offers terrific views of the granite cliffs that surround it including El Capitan, Half Dome and Cloud’s Rest.
