U.S. Mint art for the top contenders for the Yosemite quarter design.
California’s Yosemite National Park, established in 1890, will be honored on the reverse of the third 2010 National Park quarter. In September 2009, both the Commission of Fine Arts and Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee reviewed designs for the reverse of this new commemorative and submitted recommendations to Treasury officials. The Yosemite National Park quarter is expected to be released around July of this year.
Two of the proposed Yosemite quarter designs feature Half Dome, a granite dome rising 5,000 feet above the Yosemite Valley. The other two carry images of Bridalveil Falls, which drops over 600 ft into the Yosemite Valley. The two 2010 quarter designs showing Half Dome got favorable reviews from both the CFA and CCAC. Ultimately the Treasury Secretary makes the final decision about the design for this coin.
Half Dome is one of the park’s most popular attractions, and each year thousands of people hike to the top. President Lincoln signed a bill in 1864 creating the Yosemite Grant. The grant set aside the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Tree Grove (a grove of giant sequoia trees) for the public which is a small portion of today’s park. The new National Park Quarters series coin will capture the geological features and rich history associated with Yosemite National Park for all collectors.
