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NATIONAL PARK QUARTERS
The coins release order is dictated by the order in which the honored sites came under the direct control of the federal government. As such, the Hot Springs National Park Quarter was the first to be released as the site was granted federal protection on April 20, 1832. Conversely, the last coin to be released in the program will be the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Quarter, scheduled for 2021, with that site only being established on November 6, 1998.
All of the sites are honored on the reverse (tails side) of the fifty-six quarter dollars issued in the series with a design emblematic of that location. The obverse (heads side) of each coin will contain the same design, a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States. This image of Washington was initially used on the circulating 1932 quarter dollar and was designed by John Flanagan. The same portrait has been used on the quarters ever since 1932, with some modifications occurring in 1999 as part of the 50-State Quarter series.
Gettysburg National Military Park Quarter – The Gettysburg National Military Park Quarter shows a circulation release date of January 24, 2011. The United States Mint official launch ceremony was scheduled for the following day on January 25, 2011 to be held at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Shown on the reverse of this quarter is an image of the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument which is one of the many monuments located within the boundaries of the military park. The reverse was designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Master Designer Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill.
Glacier National Park Quarter – The Glacier National Park Quarter will be released into circulation on April 4, 2011 and honors the national park located in the state of Montana. Glacier was created as a national park on May 11, 1910.
The reverse of the Glacier Quarter shows a creature and a feature which the national park is well-known for. The creature is a mountain goat depicted climbing over the rugged terrain of the park. The feature is the northeast slope of Mount Reynolds shown off in the distance. This reverse was designed by AIP Associate Designer Barbara Fox and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles Vickers.
Olympic National Park Quarter – The Olympic National Park Quarter should enter into circulation on June 13, 2011. This strike honors the site located on the Olympic Peninsula of the state of Washington that became a national park on June 29, 1938.
Once again combining an animal with the landscape, the reverse of the Olympic Quarter shows a Roosevelt Elk standing on a gravel bar of the Hoh River with Mount Olympus looming in the background. It was designed by AIP Master Designer Susan Gamble and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Michael Gaudioso.
Vicksburg National Military Park Quarter – The Vicksburg National Military Park Quarter honors the military park located in the state of Mississippi. This quarter should be released into circulation on August 29, 2011. The park itself was created by the War Department on February 21, 1899 but was moved to the control of the National Park Service in 1933.
Depicted on the reverse of the Vicksburg Quarter is the Civil War era gunboat USS Cairo as it would have appeared steaming on the Yazoo River before it was sunk during the war. The reverse was designed by AIP Master Designer Thomas Cleveland and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter – The Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter honors the site in Oklahoma that first came under the direct control of the federal government on July 1, 1902 as the Sulphur Springs Reservation. It was renamed and redesignated in 1976 to its current status. The coins will be released into circulation on November 14, 2011.
The reverse of the Chickasaw Quarter shows an image of the Lincoln Bridge which is found within the boundaries of the recreation area and is a favorite scenic spot for visitors. This reverse was designed by AIP Master Designer Donna Weaver and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Jim Licaretz.