The United States Mint on Wednesday, May 4, released the Mount Hood Quarter Three-Coin Set for a price of $14.95.
The three-coin set is the fifth issue in the America the Beautiful Quarters® product series and the final 2010-dated release. The three quarters within the set share a reverse design that honors Mount Hood National Forest which is located in the state of Oregon.
The Mount Hood Quarter Three-Coin Set is produced for coin collectors as it contains numismatic quarters including:
- a proof 25c piece from the US Mint at San Francisco
- an uncirculated 25c piece from the US Mint at Philadelphia, and
- an uncirculated 25c piece from the US Mint at Denver
The quarter was released into circulation on November 15, and made available for order by the United States Mint in bags and rolls on the same day. It was ceremoniously introduced two days later inside of Portland’s World Forestry Center located just a few miles from the border of the national forest.
The coin’s reverse depicts a view of Mount Hood with Lost Lake in the foreground. Inscriptions are MOUNT HOOD, OREGON, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. It was both designed and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill.
The United States Mint continues to offer the first four sets, with each successive release having opened to stronger sales. As of Sunday, May 1, buyers have purchased 17,845 of the Hot Springs Quarter Three-Coin Set, 17,741 of the Yellowstone Quarter Three-Coin Set, 15,311 of the Yosemite Quarter Three-Coin Set, and 14,107 of the Grand Canyon Quarter Three-Coin Set.
Each three-coin set may be ordered from the United States Mint website (http://www.usmint.gov/), or its toll free number 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
This year’s sets have the following scheduled released dates:
- Gettysburg on July 27, 2011
- Glacier on July 27, 2011
- Olympic on July 27, 2011
- Vicksburg on October, 19, 2011
- Chickasaw on December 20, 2011
The Mount Hood coin is one of at least 56 that will be issued through 2021 that honor American national parks and other sites throughout the U.S. and its territories. Mount Hood National Forest, so named in 1924, was originally called Oregon National Forest after the merging of Bull Run Forest Reserve and Cascade National Forest in 1908. It is located 20 miles east of Portland, Oregon, and encompasses more than one million acres, with 189,200 acres designated a wilderness which includes Mount Hood.
The United States Mint has also produced five-ounce, .999 fine silver coins featuring the same designs as those on the quarter. The Mount Hood National Forest Silver Bullion Coin was sold to the Mint’s network of Authorized Purchasers in December. The collector version, the Mount Hood National Forest Silver Uncirculated Coin, will be available later this year.