2013 America the Beautiful Coins

2013 America the Beautiful Coins

The America the Beautiful coin series builds upon the success of the popular state quarters program launched by the United States Mint in 1999. Considered a predecessor to the America the Beautiful quarter series, the state quarters program featured unique designs for each of the 50 states, with those images released on circulation quarters. Building upon that success, the ATB Silver Coins are a collector’s item not intended for circulation, and designed to represent all American territories, from the 50 states to overseas locations.

Introduction to America the Beautiful Silver Coins

Following the success of the state quarters program, Congress passed the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008. There are a few things that set the ATB Silver Series apart from the state quarters that preceded it. First and foremost, ATB Silver Coins feature 5 oz of .999 pure silver, while the state quarters were standard circulation $.25 coins with silver, nickel, and copper alloys. Although they bear the same face value, obverse design, and status as legal tender, the ATB Silver Coins are five times larger and not intended for use as circulation currency.

Second, the ATB Silver Coins program represents all 50 US states, the five overseas territories of Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and Guam, as well as Washington DC. The 56-coin series was launched in 2010 and is scheduled to run through 2021, with the Secretary of the Treasury allowed the power to extend the program to 2033.

Each year the United States Mint releases five new coins designs representing different jurisdictions. The selection process for the national park, national forest, or historic monument representing each state or territory was a collaborative effort that included input from the Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of the Interior, and the governor or chief executive of the jurisdiction in question. Although multiple civilian and government agencies were permitted to voice an opinion during site selection, the final design was ultimately decided upon by the Secretary of the Treasury.

While the goal of the program was to choose different representative images for each of the states and territories, there were three designs or sites chosen for the ATB Silver Coin series that were already used on the state quarters program. Arizona was again represented by the Grand Canyon, California by Yosemite National Park, and South Dakota by Mount Rushmore.

All America the Beautiful quarters share a common obverse side design. Similar to the standard quarter, John Flanagan’s left-profile portrait of President George Washington is featured in the middle, along with the phrases “United States of America” above, “Liberty” to the left, “In God We Trust” to the right, and the face value below. Flanagan’s design has been on US quarters since 1932, and was developed based upon an original bust of Washington created by William Cousins in 1786.

2013 ATB Silver Coins

For the 2013 ATB Silver Coin production year, five brand-new designs were unveiled. While the program releases coins and states based upon the age of the national park, forest, or monument in question, the 2013 ATB Silver Coins are largely representative of the nation’s original territories, with only one state in the American West represented. A brief explanation of the designs for the 2013 ATB Silver Coins is featured below:

• New Hampshire: White Mountain National Forest covers 750,852 acres of land in the eastern portion of the state of New Hampshire, with roughly 5% of the forest located in the neighboring state of Maine. The park was established as US Forest Service protectorate on May 16, 1918.
• Ohio: Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial honors the stunning defeat of British Naval forces by Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry and his ragtag American Naval force during the War of 1812. Perry’s victory kept the British from making landfall in the Ohio Valley and surrounding the United States during the war. Today the memorial honors not only his victory, but the lasting peace enjoyed between the United States, Canada, and England to this day.
• Nevada: Great Basin National Park is located in east-central Nevada on 77,180 acres of land near the border with Utah. The area is home to the very unique bristlecone pine and is accented by the towering heights of Wheeler Peak.
• Maryland: Another historic monument from the War of 1812 is represented this year as Fort McHenry represents Maryland in the series. It was at Fort McHenry the American forces withstood a violent naval barrage from the British during the war. While this occurred, Francis Scott Key penned the Star-Spangled Banner when he noticed that the American flag still flew above the fortress the next morning.
• South Dakota: A stunning testament to mankind’s technology of the day, Mount Rushmore bears the faces of four influential American presidents as a reminder of the men who built this nation.

Mintage levels for the America the Beautiful coin series increased significantly starting in 2012. The mintage numbers vary from one series to the next based upon expected and actual demand. Mintage levels for these coins was:

• New Hampshire: 35,000
• Ohio: 30,000
• Nevada: 30,000
• Maryland: 30,000
• South Dakota: 35,000

Certified 2013 ATB Silver Coins on Silver.com

While many of the 2013 ATB Silver Coins available on Silver.com come in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, there are a number that have also been certified by the world’s top two grading services. Silver.com offers coins with certification from either the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation or the Professional Coin Grading Service. Terms used by the NGC and PCGS you’ll find common in coin descriptions include:

• MS70: Mint State 70 applies to perfect coins with full, original luster, and no detracting flaws of any kind.
• MS69: Mint State 69 applies to near-perfect coins with full, original luster, and no more than two minor detracting flaws.
• DM: Deeply-mirrored, describes the background field of the coin.
• PL: Proof-like, describes the overall finish of the coin.

Payment Methods, Shipping, and Insurance with Silver.com

At Silver.com, you have a number of options available to pay for your 2013 ATB Silver coins. We proudly accept the following forms of payment:

• PayPal: processes immediately.
• Credit/Debit cards: all cards accepted with the exception of Discover and AMEX.
• Paper check: 4% discount on all purchases.
• Bank wire: 4% discount on all purchases.

Silver.com offers a shipping fee that is tiered based upon the amount of your overall purchase. For any purchase over $3,000, Silver.com offers free shipping and insurance on your package. All products are discreetly packaged and shipped via the US Postal Service or UPS. In the event of lost or damaged items, we’ll work with the carrier to either recover your shipment or file a claim on your behalf to enable a refund.

If you have any questions about the 2013 ATB Silver Coins, please don’t hesitate to contact a Silver.com associate. We’re available at 888-989-7223, online via live web chat, or through email.