The Chaco Culture National Historical Park Silver Uncirculated Coin will be struck by the US Mint as the second 2012 release of its America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin™ Program. Shown on the reverse of the coin will be a design honoring Chaco Culture National Historical Park found in the state of New Mexico. As of this posting, no official release date is known.
Coins of this silver uncirculated series are each struck to a diameter of three inches from five ounces of .999 fine silver. They are minted as the collector grade versions of the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins™ series. However, whereas the bullion coins are sold to investors through the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers, these silver uncirculated coins are initially sold directly to collectors by the US Mint.
The United States Mint strikes the uncirculated coin series under the authority granted the Treasury Secretary in 31 U.S.C. §5111(a) (3). This section of law gives the Secretary the discretion to produce and sell items of numismatic interest.
Shown on the reverse of the coin is a design honoring Chaco Culture National Historical Park. That design will be surrounded by the inscriptions of CHACO CULTURE, PUERTO RICO, 2012 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
The obverse of all of the America the Beautiful related coins including these uncirculated coins, the bullion coins and the circulating quarter dollars all feature the same portrait of George Washington. The portrait will be a familiar one to many as it has graced the quarters in one form or another since 1932 and was originally designed by John Flanagan. Surrounding the portrait will be the inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico
Chaco Culture National Historical Park of New Mexico was originally established as Chaco Canyon National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt on March 11, 1907 under the authority of the Federal Antiquities Act of 1906. The purpose of the monument declaration was to preserve the remains of an ancient Chaco civilization which once thrived in the region.
That civilization built the largest buildings that would appear in North America until the 19th century. And they did so approximately a millennia before that time. This included many pueblo dwellings as well as large structures which may have had ceremonial purposes.
