National Parks Quarter Collection

For all of you collectors out there that just finished off your state quarters collection, do not fear. A new collection is set to launch in 2010 and is sure to have you flipping coins just to check before you spend them. According to nationalparkquarters.com the new collection will consist of at least 56 coins with release dates spread out over 11 years. This means that we should expect about 5 coins a year. The coins are dedicated to "America the Beautiful". Each state, US territory, and the District of Columbia will show off the personal beauty of their National Parks, or National Sites on the back of the 25 cent piece. According to the New York Times, Hot Springs Arkansas will be the first up. Its park land was set aside 4 years earlier than Yellowstone National Park, which should be the next in line, as the coins will be released in chronological order that the parks were approved by congress.

The Secretary of the Treasury has the option to extend the program meaning it could 22 years as consist of 112 coins. The bill was introduced by Rep. Michael Castle of Delaware, passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate and the program was made into public law while President Bush was still in office. The US Mint is finalizing a list of parks that will be used and will feature parks including, Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon National Park, Mount Hood National Forest, Washington's Olympic Mountains, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, and the Tuskegee Airmen memorial in Alabama, which is set to be the last coin released.

Coin collecting is an old and honored hobby. With the release of these new coins and the 50 state quarters already released many new coin collectors will be starting their collections off. The US Mint says about 147 million people collected the previous set of state quarters. The collection started off with Delaware and ended with the release of Hawaii's state quarter over 10 years. Hopefully the new collection will hold the same appeal over the US citizens. It is a great way to teach children about the United States, and the National Parks within it. When people see the parks on these coins they will want to learn more about them, and the place in history they serve. The parks will benefit as well. The more people know about nature the more they will respect it. It's a learning tool and a collector's item all for the cost of a bubblegum ball in a machine.

The Guide To The New Quarter Series, http://nationalparkquarters.com/
The Associated Press, Hot Springs to Be Featured First on New Quarters, The New York Times