Given the incredible popularity of the state quarters program from the United States Mint, Congress authorized the production of a brand-new coin series to honor the nation’s protected forests, parks, and monuments. Featuring unique designs for each of the states, territories, and federal districts in the United States, the America the Beautiful coin series first debuted with the release of the 2010 Silver ATB Coins, available now on Silver.com.

Introduction to America the Beautiful Bullion Coins

The state quarters program ran from 1999 to 2008, and featured a unique landmark, cultural icon, or other representation of each of the 50 US states. In 2009, the US Mint extended the program to cover the District of Columbia and US territories. The program featured unique designs on the reverse side of standard, circulation quarters. Building on the demand for those coins and unique designs, Congress passed the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008.

Known as America the Beautiful quarters, each of the coins feature .999 pure silver and a face value of $.25 (USD), but at five ounces in weight, these coins are nearly five times the size of the standard US quarter. Though the obverse imagery is the same, along with the face value, America the Beautiful quarters are not intended for circulation in the US economy.

The America the Beautiful coin series is scheduled to run from 2010 to 2021, with the Secretary of the Treasury holding the power to extend the program to 2033. Each year, the US Mint will release five new coin designs. In total, the program will depict a national park, national forest, or notable monument from each of the 50 US states, five national territories of Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, as well as the federal district of Washington D.C.

On the reverse side of each coin you’ll find a unique design representing the jurisdiction in question. The obverse side of each coin bears the left-profile portrait of the nation’s first elected leader, President George Washington. His left-profile bust was refined in 1932 for use on American quarters by John Flanagan, and was inspired by a 1786 original sculpture from William Cousins.

2010 Silver ATB Coins Available on Silver.com

The America the Beautiful coin series debuted in 2010. As with all years in the program, just five designs were released for the year. The collection of designs available in the 2010 Silver ATB series includes the following:

• Arkansas: Hot Springs National Park is the oldest federally protected plot of land in the US, having been established in 1832. This was the very first coin released in the series, with a total mintage of 33,000 coins.
• Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park is one of the largest national parks in the United States. Established in 1872, it is also one of the oldest protected spaces in the country. Total mintage for this design was 33,000.
• California: Yosemite National Park is one of the most visited sites in the country, and was established as federally protected land in 1890. The design sets used on the California coin are identical to those used on the California coin in the state quarters program, and is just one of three repeat design features. Total mintage was 33,000.
• Arizona: The Grand Canyon in Arizona starkly displays the power of water and time, as the Colorado River cut a trench in the rock formations in the region that is 18 miles wide at its widest, and one mile deep at its deepest. The Grand Canyon National Park design is another of the three carry-over designs from the state quarters program. Total mintage was 33,000.
• Oregon: This coin was the final one released in 2010. Mt. Hood National Forest is located in Oregon, and was established as a protected space by the federal government in 1893. Total mintage for these coins was 33,000.

Certified 2010 Silver ATB Coins on Silver.com

On Silver.com you’ll find a wide variety of 2010 Silver ATB Coins. For those unfamiliar with the terminology used by the major certification companies in the world, namely the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation and the Professional Coin Grading Service, a brief explanation of the condition of coins available on Silver.com is featured below:

• Mint State 70: Labeled MS70, these coins are considered perfect. They have their full, original luster, and no detracting flaws.
• Mint State 69: Labeled as MS69, these coins are in near-perfect condition. Each has its full, original luster, but also features a maximum of two minor detracting flaws.
• DM: Stands for deeply-mirrored, and describes the appearance of the background field.
• PL: Stands for proof-like, and describes the overall finish of the coin.
• DMPL: Means deeply-mirrored, proof-like, and is a unique appearance feature for bullion coins.
• Brilliant Uncirculated: Coins that bear no signs of wear and tear, but may have spotted surfaces, contact marks from striking, or breaks in the luster.

Purchasing, Shipping, and Insurance through Silver.com

When you purchase a 2010 Silver ATB coin from Silver.com, you have multiple payment methods available to complete your transaction. We accept credit/debit cards from Visa and MasterCard. At this time we do not accept AMEX or Discover cards, and there is no minimum purchase on transactions, with a maximum of $5,000.

We also accept PayPal (maximum purchase $10,000), paper checks (maximum purchase $40,000), and bank wires (minimum $2,000, maximum purchase $100,000). Credit/debit card, bank wire, and PayPal payments process immediately, while paper checks take up to 6 business days.

Once your payment has been processed, your order proceeds to our shipping queue for fulfillment. Your products ship in discreet packaging to protect the contents of the package and increase the security of your package during shipment. Silver.com offers a tiered shipping schedule that offers affordable pricing for all shipments via the US Postal Service and UPS. All orders exceeding $3,000 in value ship for free, with free insurance, as well.

If your package is lost, stolen, or damaged in transit, we work closely with the carrier to recover your package, exchange damaged products, or file an insurance claim to provide you with a full refund of your purchase price.

If you have any questions about 2010 Silver ATB coins, payment methods, shipping, and insurance, please feel free to contact a Silver.com associate. You can reach our team members on the phone at 888-989-7223, online through our live chat feature, and via our email address.