The United States Mint unveiled the final reverse designs for its 2019-dated America the Beautiful Quarters® and counterpart America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Coins. The designs were unveiled Tuesday, Aug. 14, at the ANA’s World’s Fair of Money® in the Philadelphia.
2019 marks the 10th year of coins celebrating national parks and other national sites within the U.S. and its territories. Issued at a rate of five each year, these latest designs are the 46th through 50th of 56 scheduled. Next year’s coins celebrate:
- Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts,
- American Memorial Park in Northern Mariana Islands,
- War in the Pacific National Historical Park in Guam,
- San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in Texas, and
- Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho.
Members of the U.S. Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) created each of the designs which are emblematic of the sites commemorated.
Design Images of the Reverses
U.S. Mint-published line art images and brief descriptions of the five designs are below. They were selected from over six dozen candidate designs.
Lowell National Historical Park (Massachusetts)
This design depicts a mill girl working at a power loom with its prominent circular bobbin battery. A view of Lowell, including the Boott Mill clock tower, is seen through the window. Inscriptions are "LOWELL," "MASSACHUSETTS," "2019," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
Designer: Joel Iskowitz
Sculptor-Engraver: Phebe Hemphill
American Memorial Park (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands)
This design depicts a young Chamorro woman in traditional dress at the front of the Flag Circle and Court of Honor. She is resting her hand on the plaque whose text honors the sacrifice of those who died in the liberation of Saipan. Inscriptions are "AMERICAN MEMORIAL PARK," "N. MARIANA ISLANDS," "2019," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
Designer: Donna Weaver
Sculptor-Engraver: Phebe Hemphill
War in the Pacific National Historical Park (Guam)
This design portrays American forces coming ashore at Asan Bay, strengthening the number of troops on the island in the fight for Guam and its eventual liberation. Inscriptions are "WAR IN THE PACIFIC," "GUAM," "2019," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
Designer: Joel Iskowitz
Sculptor-Engraver: Michael Gaudioso
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (Texas)
This design depicts elements of the Spanish Colonial Real coin to pay tribute to the missions. Within the quadrants are symbols of the missions: wheat symbolizes farming, the arches and bell symbolize community, a lion represents Spanish cultural heritage, and a symbol of the San Antonio River represents irrigation methods and life-sustaining resources. Inscriptions are "SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS," "TEXAS," "2019," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
Designer: Chris Costello
Sculptor-Engraver: Joseph Menna
Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness (Idaho)
This design depicts a piloted drift boat on the rushing river encompassed by the trees and rock formations of the Wilderness. Inscriptions are "RIVER OF NO RETURN," "WILDERNESS," "IDAHO," "2019," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
Designer: Emily Damstra
Sculptor-Engraver: Renata Gordon
Obverse Design
America the Beautiful coinage share the same obverse design, a portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan. This image has been on quarter-dollars since 1932. The portrait underwent digital enhancements in 2010 to bring out more of the beauty of the original model.
Release dates for the 2018 America the Beautiful Quarters and companion five-ounce silver coins have not been announced but they will be issued in intervals throughout the year.
For information about past releases from the series, visit our news section on quarters.
These designs will probably be very nicely executed as are all the designs in this series, but the designs themselves are a mix of excellent to poor.
Nonetheless, I collect the series so these will be unquestionably part of my collection when they are released.
I am from Texas and hate our coin option, lets put the Alamo on it!!!!!!! That or Big Ben National Park!!! Texas is not Spanish, nor does that coin represent a monument!! Who ever was the idiot that decided on that, forgot to read their email that day!!
I agree. This is too abstract and politically correct. Big Bend or the buttress of El Capitan, the highest point in Texas, would have been much better topics. Unless you are from the Southwest, most people probably don’t even know Big Bend NP exists. The Alamo would also be a good choice, but I would prefer a natural feature of Texas.
War in the pacific and river of no return good, the rest, meh.