Today, April 24, the United States Mint began selling 2012 America the Beautiful Quarters Uncirculated Sets. The annual set has a new price of $12.95, plus shipping and handling.
It is the third year for the uncirculated sets, and this year the price is $9 lower than the two older sets which remain for sale at $21.95 each. This year’s savings is attributed to the U.S. Mint’s refined product costing process and lower negotiated prices with suppliers.
America the Beautiful Quarters Uncirculated Sets follow the clad quarters proof set and the silver version which both debuted in January. Similarly, the latest version contains coins that are specially minted for collectors, and the brilliant uncirculated finish means that they are more detailed than circulation quality strikes.
There are 10 clad coins in all. Five of the 2012 America the Beautiful Quarters are from the U.S. Mint facility in Philadelphia and the other five are from the U.S. Mint facility in Denver. Two P&D coins each honor:
- El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico
- Acadia National Park in Maine
- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii
- Denali National Park in Alaska
The mint marks on their obverses indicate their production at their respective cities of origin. The ten America the Beautiful Quarters are packaged within a durable folder containing a brief description of each honored site.
So far this year, two of the five 2012 quarters have been released into circulation. The El Yunque National Forest Quarter launched on February 3 and the Chaco Culture National Historical Park Quarter debuted on April 2. (See quarter release dates.)
Order Details
To purchase an America the Beautiful Quarters Uncirculated Set, buyers can go directly to the United States Mint website right here or call the toll-free number 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). As with other clad coin items, there are no household order limits, and collector demand determines production quantities. Future sets and related products are also available by subscription via the United States Mint Online Subscription Program.
Current Set Sales, Upcoming ATB Quarter Products
As mentioned, the previous two sets remain available. The latest available U.S. Mint sales figures as of April 16, 2012 have the 2010-dated sets with total sales of 33,768 and the 2011 sets at 32,544.
Next, the same quarters will appear in the 2012 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set® presently scheduled to launch on May 21. This clad set will also have this year’s four Presidential dollars, the Native American $1 coin, the Kennedy half dollar, the Roosevelt dime, the Jefferson nickel and the Lincoln cent.
2012 America the Beautiful Quarters are featured in a total of seven annual sets. Besides the latest uncirculated quarters set and the few mentioned earlier, they are also in the quarters circulating coin set whose release date has yet to be published, the 2012 Proof Set due on May 7, and the 2012 Silver Proof Set on June 4.
For the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, the United States Mint is producing 56 quarters, each with a reverse design that celebrates a national park or site from each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories. The program will last at least until 2021 with five new designs debuting each year.
For more details about each coin’s reverse, see the 2012 quarter images. The obverse side of each quarter depicts a digitally enhanced portrait of George Washington.