The America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin™ Program marked its third year with the release of the 2012 America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins. Each 2012 coin contains five ounces of .999 fine silver at an impressively large diameter of three inches.
2012 America the Beautiful Silver Coins
These bullion coins feature obverse and reverse imagery identical to that found on the US Mint’s circulating America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program.
The obverse of each coin contains a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States, while the reverse showcases designs emblematic of selected sites of national interest.
Locations for all fifty-six coins to be struck under the program have already been announced by the US Mint with one site of national interest chosen from each state, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. Some information on each of the 2012 America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins is shown below. Additional details for each may be found by following the provided links.
2012 El Yunque 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
2012 El Yunque Silver Coin
Honoring one of the oldest reserves in the Western Hemisphere was the El Yunque Silver Coin representing the national forest of the same name located in the United States territory of Puerto Rico. It was the first America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins issued in 2012 and marked the eleventh for the program overall.
The land currently a part of El Yunque was reserved by King Alfonso XII of spain in 1876 when Puerto Rico was still a colony of that country. It has remained under government protection since then and is the only tropical rain forest in the national forest system of the United States.
2012 Chaco Culture 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
2012 Chaco Culture Silver Coin
Appearing as the second issue in 2012 was the Chaco Culture Silver Coin.
These coins honor the Chaco Culture National Historical Park which is located in the state of New Mexico.
The park preserves the finest concentration of ancient pueblos in the United States.
Each of the structures found in the park were constructed around a thousand years ago with several of them being the largest buildings in North America until as recent as a few hundred years ago.
2012 Acadia 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
2012 Acadia Silver Coin
The third 2012 release of the program was the Acadia Silver Coins which honors Acadia National Park found in the state of Maine.
The park was originally established in 1919 as the Lafayette National Park and had the distinction of being the first national park east of the Mississippi.
Consisting of over 47,000 acres today, much of the infrastructure of the park is owed to wealthy philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who funded 50-plus miles of carriage trails along with granite bridges and even two gate lodges. Rockefeller even provided substantial assistance to rebuild portions of the park after fire destroyed much of it it in 1947.
2012 Hawaii Volcanoes 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
2012 Hawaii Volcanoes Silver Coin
The Hawaii Volcanoes Silver Coins was the fourth release in the series to appear from the US Mint in 2012. It honors the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which is located on the big island of the state of Hawaii.
Established on August 1, 1916, the national park today encompasses over 500 square miles. Found within the park’s boundaries are a wide variety of features including many of which are thermal and related to the Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes located there.
2012 Denali 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
2012 Denali Silver Coin
Honoring Denali National Park, which is located in the state of Alaska, was the Denali Silver Coins. These coins marked the final releases of the program to appear in 2012.
Denali consists of over six million acres and was originally established on February 26, 1917 as Mount McKinley National Park. The name is a source of some contention, however, as local native Americans have called the massive mountain in the park "Denali" for centuries before it was re-dubbed "McKinley" in 1897.
Additional information on this series of coins can be found on a site dedicated to the program by clicking on 5 oz bullion coins.
Bullion coins like these are not sold directly to the public by the US Mint. Instead, the Mint uses a network of authorized purchasers which obtains the coins in bulk from the Mint, only to resell them in smaller quantities for a small premium above the current spot price of the silver contained within them. That premium includes charges covering minting, distribution, and marketing costs and is added to the sale of each coin.
Five of the America the Beautiful 5 oz Silver Bullion Coins will be issued annually until it is completed in 2021. The program may be extended, however, if the Treasury Secretary makes that decision within the time allotted by the authorizing legislation.
