National Park Quarter Series Proposal

Following the success of the 50 State Quarters Program, a new series of quarters with rotating reverse designs has recently been proposed. The new series would likely come to be known as the National Park Quarters.

The proposal for the new series was introduced on June 4, 2008 in a House bill known as "America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008." The format of the program would follow many aspects of the State Quarter program with a few notable differences.

If the proposal becomes law, each US State, US Territory, and the District of Columbia would select a national park or other national site to be featured on the reverse design of a circulating commemorative quarter. The new series would begin in 2010 after the completion of the State Quarter series and the six additional quarters for D.C. and the U.S. Territories in 2009.

In total the series would comprise 56 different reverse designs over a duration of 11 years. The bill contains provisions for the series to be extended for a second cycle of 11 years at the option of the Secretary of the Treasury.

The proposal also calls for the production of over-sized silver bullion duplicates of each coin. The duplicates would be three inches in diameter, contain five ounces of silver, and have edge incused lettering.

The bill has passed the House of Representatives unanimously. The newly proposed series doesn't seem to be generating much of a response from the general public, who have perhaps gotten used to the idea of coins with constantly changing designs. The proposal has generated a fair amount of criticism from some coin collectors who feel that another long series of quarters with rotating reverse designs might too much of a good thing.

In order to become law the bill must pass the Senate and then be signed into law by the President.