2016 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set

Issued by the US Mint to contain 90% silver proof examples of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program will be the 2016 United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set™.

The coins included in the silver proof set represent the 2016 America the Beautiful Quarters® which are the seventh annual releases of the Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarter Program. Typically struck from a clad composition for circulation, the five strikes of this set are composed of 90% silver struck at the US Mint’s facility in San Francisco to proof quality. The five strikes of the set represent and honor:

• Shawnee National Forest of Illinois
• Cumberland Gap National Historical Park of Kentucky
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park of West Virginia
• Theodore Roosevelt National Historical Park of North Dakota
• Fort Sumter National Monument of South Carolina

The five coins of this silver proof set together total 0.904 ounces of silver giving each an intrinsic melt value approximately equal to that amount of silver on the market. However, most obtain the sets for their numismatic interest and value and not their melt value.

The obverse of each coin in the series contains the same portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States. The design was originally completed by John Flanagan and has been used on the quarter dollar since 1932.

Shown on the reverse of the coins are the designs emblematic of the selected sites of national interest. For the series, one site was chosen from each state, the District of Columbia and the five US territories. These fifty-six coins are then released at a rate of five per year until 2021 when the last strike will be released.

Each 2016 America the Beautiful Quarter Silver Proof Set represents the thirty-first through thirty-fifth for the series. Additional information about each included strike is shown below:

2016-S Shawnee Quarter

Showcased on the reverse of this quarter is Shawnee National Forest of Illinois. Shawnee was originally established in 1933 and today encompasses an area of 265,616 acres.

The original forest was created from exhausted farmland which had been bought from area farmers and planted with pine trees to prevent further soil decay and erosion. However, many old growth hardwoods may also be found within the forest.

2016-S Cumberland Gap Quarter

The reverse of this quarter honors the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park found in the state of Kentucky. The site was created on June 11, 1940 and preserves the area of land used for centuries as a trail through the massive and hard to travel through Appalachian Mountains.

Included in the site are remnants of American Civil War era emplacements placed there during the war owing to its strategic position as a corridor through the mountains.

2016-S Harpers Ferry Quarter

Shown on the reverse of this quarter is a design honoring Harpers Ferry National Historical Park of West Virginia. The park itself was created on June 30, 1944 to acknowledge and preserve the site and its importance in American history.

Found on the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, the site was used for decades as a ferry location across the rivers. However, also found there was an armory which both outfitted the Lewis and Clark Expedition and served as a pivotal site during the American Civil War.

2016-S Theodore Roosevelt Quarter

The reverse of this quarter dollar honors Theodore Roosevelt National Park found in the state of North Dakota. The park was originally established as Roosevelt Recreation Demonstration Area in 1935 and attained its current title in 1978.

Found within the park are the remnants of a ranch operated by Theodore Roosevelt years before he became the 26th President of the United States.

2016-S Fort Sumter Quarter

Included on the reverse of this quarter is a design emblematic of Fort Sumter National Monument of South Carolina. It was established on April 28, 1948 to commemorate the importance of the Fort to American History.

It was at this location that the first shots of the American Civil War were fired when Confederate forces fired on the members of the U.S. Army stationed there.

2016 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set Specifications