2014 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set

The 2014 United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set™ will be the fifth such annual set from the US Mint to contain 90% silver strikes of the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program.

Coins included in this set represent the 2014 America the Beautiful Quarters® which the US Mint typically strikes in a clad composition for circulation. However, the coins of the silver proof set are struck from 90% silver. The five coins represent these sites:

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Tennessee
• Shenandoah National Park of Virginia
• Arches National Park of Utah
• Great Sand Dunes National Park of Colorado
• Everglades National Park of Florida

The coins of this set have an intrinsic melt value equal to the 0.904 ounces of silver found in the coins. However, most collect the sets owing to their numismatic interest and value.

These coins are part of the greater America the Beautiful Quarters series which debuted in 2010 and will run until 2021 at a rate of five per year. Five strikes are issued annually with each strike representing a different site of national interest with a reverse design emblematic of the site. One location was chosen from each state, the District of Columbia and the five US territories, for a total of fifty-six coins to be minted in the series.

The obverse of each quarter in the series contains the same portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States. In fact, that same portrait, by John Flanagan, has been used on the circulating quarter in one form or another since 1932.

The 2014 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set are the twenty-first through the twenty-fifth for the America the Beautiful series. The strikes in this set are struck from 90% silver and include these five coins:

2014-S Great Smoky Mountains Quarter

The reverse of these coins honor the Great Smoky Mountains National Park found in the state of Tennessee. Congress actually authorized the park in 1926, but it was not established until June 15, 1934. That is because the federal government did not own enough land in the area to create the park.

Thus, with the donations of many, including $5 million from John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the park was assembled lot by lot from 1926 until its creation. Today it is composed of a total of 521,086 acres.

2014-S Shenandoah Quarter

This strike honors Shenandoah National Park of Virginia which, like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, was originally authorized in 1926. It took several years for the federal government to acquire enough land before it was officially established on December 26, 1935.

The most popular feature of the park is Skyline Drive which is a 105-mile road that runs mostly along the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

2014-S Arches Quarter

Arches National Park of Utah is featured on the reverse of these coins with a design emblematic of the park. The area was originally created as a national monument on April 12, 1929 but became a national park in 1971.

Inside the park are over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, one of which is the world famous Delicate Arch.

2014-S Great Sand Dunes Quarter

Honoring Great Sand Dunes National Park of Colorado, this strike will contain a reverse design emblematic of that location. The site was originally created as Great Sand Dunes National Monument in 1932, but redesignated a national park in 2004.

Within the park, and associated reserve, are 84,670 acres meant to protect the delicate sand dunes of the region which are the tallest in North America and can reach heights of 750 feet above the valley floor.

2014-S Everglades Quarter

This quarter honors the Everglades National Park of Florida with a design on its reverse. The park was officially dedicated on December 6, 1947 and is unique among the national park system properties in that it preserves an ecosystem where most parks protect a geological feature.

The park consists of 1,508,571 acres, of which most is federally owned.

2014 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set Specifications