This will be the fourth installment in the ongoing series of posts providing the results of a survey answered by Mint News Blog readers at the end of last year. The sixth question was related to the America the Beautiful Quarters series, which will debut in 2010.
This series will feature 56 different reverse designs issued from 2010 to 2021 at a rate of five per year. The obverse will feature a portrait of George Washington and the reverse will feature a unique design representing a National Park or National Site from each state, territory, and the District of Columbia. The designs will be issued in the order that the sites were federally designated.
Readers were asked how they would collect the America the Beautiful coin series and allowed to select all methods that apply. Based on the US Mint's available subscription products and preliminary product schedule, the coins will be sold in numismatic bags and rolls, and in separate proof and silver proof sets. The coins will also be included in the full annual sets and released into circulation. It is possible that the Mint will add other products to the lineup, but nothing else has been announced so far.
(Note that there will be an offering of America the Beautiful Silver bullion coins, which feature exact duplicates of the quarter designs and contain five ounces of .999 silver. I did not include this option, since I wanted to focus on the circulation issue quarters.)
How will you collect the new America the Beautiful Quarters series?
| As included in the full annual US Mint Uncirculated Set, Proof Set, or Silver Proof Set | 37.13% |
| Purchase America the Beautiful Proof or Silver Proof Set | 22.75% |
| I will not collect the series in any form | 17.89% |
| Collect from circulation | 13.55% |
| Purchase US Mint bags and rolls | 8.69% |
The results of this question indicate a relatively low level of interest in collecting the new quarter series. Most glaringly, 17.89% of respondents indicated that they would not collect the series in any form. I suspect that if coin collectors had been asked a similar question before the start of the State Quarters series, responses would have been much different.
When the 50 State Quarters Program concluded, the United States Mint stated that 147 million Americans had collected coins from the series. This number was high enough to represent nearly one out of every two Americans, or at least one person from every household in the country. If nearly 18% of coin collectors do not intend to collect the upcoming America the Beautiful Quarters series, the level of awareness and interest from the broader public will likely be a fraction of the levels experienced for the State Quarters series.
When America the Beautiful Quarters series was first proposed, there was a vocal segment of the coin collecting public who expressed the opinion that the concept of rotating designs for circulating coins had been overused. The concept does has the potential to be innovative, as seen with the 50 State Quarters Program, or exciting, as seen with the 2009 Lincoln Cent designs. But when it is used over and over, at some point "change" becomes less interesting or even undesirable.
The US Mint has still not released the final designs for the 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters. The latest information indicates that the designs will be unveiled in a special ceremony held in February. The first quarter of the series featuring Hot Springs National Park is tentatively scheduled to be released in April 2010.
Other posts covering survey results:
Favorite 2009 US Mint Product and Biggest Disappointment
Mint News Blog Readers Reflect on 2009
2010 US Mint Products and Potential Offerings
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