Mike Unser over at CoinNews.net is reporting that the America's Beautiful National Parks Coin Act has been signed into law today by President Bush. This is the series of circulating quarter dollar coins that legislators intended to be a follow-up to the 50 State Quarters® program. Collectors have been sharing mixed feelings about the new Parks Quarters. In my previous post regarding the National Parks Quarters passing the Senate, several readers shared their opinions of the new program:
It would appear that the function of the US Mint is not to produce coins for commerce but to produce product for eBay merchants. The National Parks coin program is a disgrace; it is based on coin industry lobbyists paying off congress to continue making coins of very little collectible value. The State Quarter program was fun and unique, but now it is just being overdone and overblown. -- Doug Hubka
One collector says he hasn't heard much positive feedback:
The coin collector feedback I have heard about the National Park and Site Quarters has been predominantly negative. I think the best summation I have seen anyone state is that the concept of rotating circulating coinage designs has "jumped the shark."
Personally, I am trying to see a bright side to this. When I think back over the 50 State Quarters program, some my favorite designs have featured National Parks. The designs this go-round might actually be much more impressive. -- Michael Zielinski, MintNewsBlog.com
And what about the younger collectors?
I tend to think of the value of the program this way...
How many young numismatists started in the hobby due to the State Quarters program? How many young people will start collecting because of park quarters? Answers: Many and probably many.
How many established, older numismatists collected non-error state quarters for themselves? How many established, older numismatists will collect non-error park quarters? Answers: Few and probably few.
In my opinion, these modern coin programs are well designed for the youth, and not the established collector. While there may be better ways to grow the hobby, a new quarters program is better than no program for youngsters. -- Mike Unser, CoinNews.net
Maybe quarters are the wrong coins to feature national parks on...
Hmmmm "Over-Kill" comes to mind. I’m thinking that it’ll create less interest by most collectors. I was actually hoping that they’d go back to a regular quarter using a new design and stick with that for several more years, which in turn would make the Statehood [quarters] all that more coveted since they were limited. As another comment above stated, a lot of the Statehoods already have the parks theme on them. How many birds, trees, fish, etc. will be on the new series and how many ways can ya make them look unique?
Now here’s a concept... How’s about ya put the new designs on dimes? Now that would be cool and would stimulate interest in a whole new direction, since the dime has been the same for eons now. I know the dime is smaller, but how much room do you need to stamp a fish or a bird on it? Hmmm? -- The Yankee
For my part, I don't like the national parks theme, either. I don't think it'll appeal to people the way the State Quarters do, because we feel a sort of patriotism or loyalty to our home state. But how many people feel patriotic towards Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon? Sure, they're beautiful, but they don't inspire the sort of emotional connection in me that the State Quarters do.
If the hobby and congress really want to reach out to kids, we need to have coin designs that are relevant to them, such as sports and music themes. I certainly don't advocate putting actual athletes and musicians on our coins, but a series that honors various sports, or sports teams, or various music genres would be interesting and emotionally stirring to young people in a way that coins featuring inanimate objects like forests and canyons can never be.
What's Next For the Parks Quarters
Now that the Parks Quarters bill has been signed into law, the Treasury Department has 270 days to identify the places that will be featured on each state's coin. The states don't have to come up with their actual designs yet, they just need to nominate what national park or national historic site they'd like to honor. Once these have all been proposed, and the Treasury Secretary has approved them, the list of honorees will be prepared. This list will rank the honorees by date in the order that they were named as national parks or historic sites.
Then, beginning in 2010, the U.S. Mint will issue the quarters, five per year, for eleven years. By end of the ninth year, the Treasury Secretary can opt to extend the program another eleven years by issuing a second coin for each state honoring a second park or historic site in each. Keep in mind that in 2009 we'll have the U.S. Territories and Washington, D.C. Quarters to tide us over until the new Parks Quarters program begins.
What do you think about the National Parks Quarters program? Cast your vote in my fun poll and we'll see just how popular (or not) this program might end up being. If the Parks program has you so excited that you can hardly sit still, drop on over to the ParkQuarters.com Web site, where an intrepid fan of the program has been following the legislation's progress for months already!
Comments
I think it’s time for a refreshing change. Break away from the quarter dollar. Give the old quarter a new face lift. Then leave it alone. Move on to a new coin, like the dime. I have to agree with yankee. There are plenty of dime collectors out there. The dime hasen’t had a change now in too many years. All the rest have except the Kennedy half dollar. Which i think will or may remain the same indefinitly. I for one can’t keep track of all the new changes. I also think it detracts from what is out there now.
coiny
Rats. I was kinda hoping they wouldn’t sign the papers for the new quarters. Just seems like over-kill to what started out as a really cool idea for the State-Hoods. Now it’s just a ho hum series, I think. It’s probably gonna diminish the value of the State-Hoods, too.
Oh well, what’s done is done, I suppose.
~The Yankee~
I like the Dime idea. It would be slick to see what could fit on a Dime and still look good.
I’d like to see the National Parks on the half dollar, They provide a much bigger space for the designs than the quarters do.
Like Phil’s idea for the Half Dollar. How about picking an other President to appear on the quarter,say every 10 years. Washington has a dollar coin and the paper one.
This is exactly why I gave up stamp collecting. Too much crap being put on the market for strictly commercial reasons. As with stamps, if you don’t get one of each you don’t have a complete collection. Then, they make so much crap so fast that they introduce errors. This just perpetuates the speculation. Make more crap, make more errors, make more money for the mint. Run more serious collectors out of the hobby.
It is simply incredible to me how many folks are continuously going so far out of their way to complain about the various coin programs we have been begging the Mint for for so many years. The Mint is finally pumping out all sorts of goodies, rarities, errors–you name it–and instead of applauding their efforts to fill as many folks’ wish lists as they possibly can, they just go on and on and on about how stupid this or that program is. I have yet to see any really intelligent argument for why any of these new programs are so “stupid”. So, I submit that that label would be more correctly applied to the complainers, who probably drive a Volvo or Totota too, by the way. Rather than supporting our American-made products, they continue to undermine our integrity as a diversified nation quite proficient at producing many of the world’s finest things. I, for one, do not collect any of these new coins, except that I do enjoy searching the presidential dollar rolls for unusual errors, as well as hunting for that elusive Cheeerios dollar that just might turn up one day, if I look through enough of the Sacs. So, even though I don’t personally collect any of these newest Mint products with the aim of completing sets, I still applaud their efforts, like the idea that they can only help produce more collectors–especially the young, and even the fact that E-Bay sellers can thrive on them. Good work, U.S. Mint and Congress! Keep ‘em coming, and simply ignore the “stupid” folks who can only judge things in light of what they themselves like.
Dave: If the majority of collectors feel the way most are feeling about the new quarther theme. If the mint is listening, they should get the marketing hint. Especially if what their new stratagie is to create new collectors at the sake of loseing old collectors, they are no further ahead of the curve. If the mint has an excess of products that won’t sell, that does nothing for any of the American tax paying public. Or the publicity surrounding any new mint products. If what they are doing is counte productive no body wins in the end. None of us really got what we asked for. Who asked us if we wanted this new programe? Good luck to new collectors, as well as the older ones.
coiny
I aologise to everyone for my typos and miss-spelling. My parents tax dollars at work.
coiny
Stupid? nah. Observant, maybe. Yes I agree that many have requested multiple options and multiple changes in our coins, however it does get a bit over-taxing for the collector. I also think that when something worked as well as the State-Hood series, leave it alone. The main reason the series worked so well is because it was unique, now with a new series planned that uniqueness is taken away, somewhat.
I, for one, would really like to see the mint open a secondary web-site for folks to chime in their opinions and concerns about the Mint products. I think the mint could use this information to a high degree of benefit for future products & such.
As far as what I drive? An 86′ Chevy Astro. Doesn’t mean much though, since most all the parts on it come from Japan or China, as with most any car “Assembled” here in the US today. Look towards the White House & the NAFTA approach as to why our country is in the dumper. You can also thank the folks that thought it was a good idea to offer loans to folks that didn’t have the qualifications to re-pay these loans. Yes, NINJA Loans. Now that was a brilliant piece of legislation there, huh?
OK, OK, I’ve said my piece & like everyone else here… it’s just another opinion.
Take Care,
~The Yankee~
I agree with the Yankee’s idea of a separate website for input and feedback to the U.S. Mint. I don’t know who exactly lobbies for these terrible designs, but they are surely the most unimaginative people around.
I never fell for the state quarter program. It always seemed like a scam to me. Ever since the Kennedy half dollar there has been very little inpiried art on our coins. The bi-centennial designs were OK, but not up to the standard of the Liberty-inspired coins of the first 150 years of US mintage.
I would love to see a return to “classic” designs with real, classy, eye-appealing beauty that will last for generations. Such would be a real representation of america’s values, unlike the ADD inspired collectors series the mint spews forth these days.
I never cared much for the statehood quarters. The only ones in my collection are the silver proofs, the only ones that might be worth something in the future. I think the half dollar would be a better coin to commemorate whatever places or events that the mint deems worthy to commemorate. The half doesn’t circulate anyway. The mint should quit making halves for circulation anyway. Most people I know hoard halves just because they are halves, not because of any silver content. The Treasury would save a lot of money if they did away with the half and the dollar bill. The only coins that do circulate are the cent, nickle, dime, and quarter. Thats all we need. If the mint wanted the golden dollar to circulate, it should quit making the dollar bill.
I like your idea robert. The half could keep it’s portrait as is, put the park theme on the reverse. I don’t know, we are whittling down what is in circulation now. If they do away with the dollar bill, i’ll have to buy saddle bags. I can carry at least 3 or 4 hundred dollars in singles. I can find room in all my pockets to stuff them. I know no body in their right mind would do that. 100 dollar bills are easier on the body. But if i have to move fast, i can just throw the saddle bags over my old ladys shoulders, and tell her to run!! I’ll carry her cane.
coiny
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