Owner Comments:
The 2011 Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter represented the final release of 2011 for the new quarter series created to feature images and scenes from the National Parks and sites of America. The quarter represented the tenth release of the series overall.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area was selected as the site to be depicted for the state of Oklahoma. Under the authorizing legislation, one federally designated site is selected for each state, territory, and the District of Columbia and depicted on the reverse of a circulating quarter dollar.
The reverse design of the coin features a depiction of Lincoln Bridge. It was built of limestone and dedicated in 1909 for the centennial for the 16th President’s birth. The bridge represented the first constructed improvement within the National Recreation Area and is a popular scenic destination. The design is by Donna Weaver, with sculpting performed by Jim Licaretz.
The Chickasaw Quarter was officially released into circulation on November 14, 2011. At earlier dates, the coins were available as incorporated into various numismatic products offered by the United States Mint. Additionally, the design of the quarter will be duplicated for the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins series, on 5 ounces of .999 fine silver.
This release showed an increase in production levels compared to the previous America the Beautiful Quarters. In total, there were 143.2 million Chickasaw Quarters produced for circulation at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints.