Survey Results: Collecting America the Beautiful Quarters
This will be the fourth installment in the ongoing series of posts providing the results of a survey answered by Mint News Blog readers at the end of last year. The sixth question was related to the America the Beautiful Quarters series, which will debut in 2010.
This series will feature 56 different reverse designs issued from 2010 to 2021 at a rate of five per year. The obverse will feature a portrait of George Washington and the reverse will feature a unique design representing a National Park or National Site from each state, territory, and the District of Columbia. The designs will be issued in the order that the sites were federally designated.
Readers were asked how they would collect the America the Beautiful coin series and allowed to select all methods that apply. Based on the US Mint's available subscription products and preliminary product schedule, the coins will be sold in numismatic bags and rolls, and in separate proof and silver proof sets. The coins will also be included in the full annual sets and released into circulation. It is possible that the Mint will add other products to the lineup, but nothing else has been announced so far.
(Note that there will be an offering of America the Beautiful Silver bullion coins, which feature exact duplicates of the quarter designs and contain five ounces of .999 silver. I did not include this option, since I wanted to focus on the circulation issue quarters.)
How will you collect the new America the Beautiful Quarters series?
| As included in the full annual US Mint Uncirculated Set, Proof Set, or Silver Proof Set | 37.13% |
| Purchase America the Beautiful Proof or Silver Proof Set | 22.75% |
| I will not collect the series in any form | 17.89% |
| Collect from circulation | 13.55% |
| Purchase US Mint bags and rolls | 8.69% |
The results of this question indicate a relatively low level of interest in collecting the new quarter series. Most glaringly, 17.89% of respondents indicated that they would not collect the series in any form. I suspect that if coin collectors had been asked a similar question before the start of the State Quarters series, responses would have been much different.
When the 50 State Quarters Program concluded, the United States Mint stated that 147 million Americans had collected coins from the series. This number was high enough to represent nearly one out of every two Americans, or at least one person from every household in the country. If nearly 18% of coin collectors do not intend to collect the upcoming America the Beautiful Quarters series, the level of awareness and interest from the broader public will likely be a fraction of the levels experienced for the State Quarters series.
When America the Beautiful Quarters series was first proposed, there was a vocal segment of the coin collecting public who expressed the opinion that the concept of rotating designs for circulating coins had been overused. The concept does has the potential to be innovative, as seen with the 50 State Quarters Program, or exciting, as seen with the 2009 Lincoln Cent designs. But when it is used over and over, at some point "change" becomes less interesting or even undesirable.
The US Mint has still not released the final designs for the 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters. The latest information indicates that the designs will be unveiled in a special ceremony held in February. The first quarter of the series featuring Hot Springs National Park is tentatively scheduled to be released in April 2010.
Other posts covering survey results:
Favorite 2009 US Mint Product and Biggest Disappointment
Mint News Blog Readers Reflect on 2009
2010 US Mint Products and Potential Offerings
Labels: Survey
posted by Mint News Blog @ 1:21 PM
23 Comments:
I am so happy that the US Mint will offer the "America the Beautiful Quarters."
Although I do not see myself collecting the coins individually, I do plan to buy yearly silver proof sets.
Think about it - it sure would be boring if the US Mint kept the reverse of the Washington quarter the same for 10 years (or more). I welcome the change.
I will collect them.. I just wish we could get liberty on the coin vs washington.
Yeah, at least if you buy a Proof or Mint set each year you will also be getting the Presidents and Quarters sets along the way.
I've really never understood why people pay $14.95 for the Presidents set and then $14.95 for the quarters set, when you can get them both in a Proof or Mint set for the same amount of money.
I guess some folks don't want the extra coins the full proof set contains, and are content to buy the sets that contain just the coins they're interested in. They DO get a specially-decorated box and COA that way.
Look at the 2009 Lincoln Cent proof set. Only 200,000 were sold in the special box with COA, but there are TONS more of the penny lenses out there without them. For the collector who focuses only on Lincoln Cents, the 4-coin set in the special box is THE one to have.
I myself am dissappointed.
it was difficult enough to get state quarters from the banks.
even more difficult to get the us territory quarters.
now, the America the Beautiful Quarters will be extremely difficult to get since the mint has no federal reserve banks or local banks in a distribution loop as was the case with the 50 state quarters.
if they want to use these programs, then make the coins availible for purchase at face value.
It'll be interesting to see what the mintages of these will be. Will they be comparable to the DC and US Territories mintages, or are they going to ramp these up due to anticipated demand. I can't imagine they would spit them out at the rate of the early Statehood quarters.
By the time they start offering the 5oz silver coins, the spot price of silver will drive this coins cost over $200 on silver content, alone.
When do these start coming out? I need to get my folders for the program. Does anyone know who has them? My last ones are from Littleton, and they were nice.
A better holder would be from Dansco. I wouldn't buy anything from Littleton. That place is a rip-off.
The problem is that the U.S. mint has used the "rotating designs" concept ad nauseum -- 50 State Quarters, Presidential Dollars, Fist Spouse Gold Coins, and now this series -- and most of the designs, quite frankly, suck.
If the mint would focus on creating just one high quality design for each coin, they would have a lot more success.
I personally like keeping coins stable like we did for years. Coins would get new dates/ mint marks but same design. This was in the pre-Sept. 11 days when stability meant something.
I remember the flack on changing the Franklin half prematurly to give the fallen President Kennedy the coin before the Franklin was supposed to have ended. Now we have coins changing several times per year.
I guess now everyone wants "change" to everything!
Too bad...
Oh, I know this a quarters commentary, but I do thank the mint for the UHR, it's a keeper!
All of these rotating reverses are starting to burn me out. As a collector, I am just oversaturated with change. The state quarters were a masterpiece and we should of just left it at that. I think that the National Parks quarter program is just a little to redundant for my taste. Add in the over produced pathetic presidential dollars, westward journey nickels, and Lincoln cents - our nation's coinage starts to look like a three ring circus in the palm of your hand. Our nation's coinage should represent order and longstanding consistency.
I guess we can thank George Double Dunce Bush for all of the presidential dollars and national parks qtrs.
Yes and don't forget that everything Bush has had a hand in has been ruined. Need we wonder why the US Mint has been in utter chaos!
The constant political references are boring. I am excited by the park quarter series and simply hope the designs are artistic and worthy of their subjects. As someone that has been collecting for 50 years I'd much rather have rotating designs than simply a date and mintmark to look at. These new series attract new collectors because they are inexpensive and most can be found in circulation. Does anyone really believe new collectors will be attracted to over used designs that have been around way too long and sets that can no longer be filled from circulation. Collector only coins like the Kennedy Dollar and the Sacajawea Dollars are a waste. Bring on the new quarters!
I just think that the mint is oversaturating the market again and the National Parks Quarter program will dilute the greatness of the Statehood Quarter Program. Only one rotating reverse program should exist at a time.
The only things worth buying are Eagles, Buffalos, and Silver Proof Sets.
I hope I'm still around to finish this series in 2021.
Well, after the state quarters, the NP quarters, Lincoln cents, northwest nickels, and the dead presidents - we can get back to normalicy. Capitalism has become obscene at the mint. We should of only done the 5 oz medalions as a commerative $5 only. However, it cost us the proof ASE.
There should of been a break between the states and the parks.
They Should have put the National Parks on the back of the Kennedy Half Dollar and put it back into circulation. They would have given the design more room and they would have boost the sales of the fifty cent piece.
It seems to me if the mint has the silver bullion to produce the 5oz parks quarters then they could have produced 5 1oz silver dollar proof eagls for us collector isn't that a coincidence!
It is almost time for the Silver proof sets of the National Parks quarters to start selling from the mint. The interest level here will be a real good indicator whether the mint made a good choice to continue multiple designs for the US quarters.
I think if the price of silver goes too much higher, the 5 OZ bullion coins for the series might not be made.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home