Appearing as the third 2012 release in its series will be the Acadia National Park Silver Bullion Coin. This specific strike will honor Acadia National Park of Maine with a designed showcased on its reverse. At the time of this posting, a release date was not known for the bullion coin.
These coins are struck as part of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins™ Program, which are themselves large versions of an associated America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. Both series were authorized by the same law (Public Law 110-456) and both feature similar imagery including reverse designs honoring selected sites of national interest from around the United States and its territories.
However, whereas the quarters are struck in clad to a diameter of only 0.955 inches, these bullion coins are struck to the massive size of three inches from five ounces of .999 fine silver. As can be imagined, the inclusion of so much precious metal gives these bullion coins a relatively high intrinsic melt value.
Shown on the reverse of the Acadia National Park Silver Bullion Coin will be a design emblematic of the park. This design will be surrounded by the inscriptions of ACADIA, MAINE, 2012 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
The obverse will contain the same portrait of George Washington that has been featured on the circulating quarter dollars in one form or another since 1932. The original portrait was designed by John Flanagan. Surrounding Washington will the the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
Acadia National Park in Maine
The United States officially established Acadia National Park in 1919. However, at that time it was known as Lafayette National Park. Its purpose was to protect most of Mount Desert Island and the surrounding islands.
A change in the park’s name occurred in 1929 when it took on today’s Acadia title. It was also during that time that philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. donated enough money to create a vast network of carriage trails, granite bridges and two lodges to make Acadia one of the premier parks in the national park system.
