The U.S. Mint started the last months of summer revealing the resulting reverse designs for America the Beautiful Quarters 2018 as well as presenting designs to America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Coins.
2018 will be the 9th year in a row when the coins dedicated to parks and national reservations are designed and minted. Usually there are 5 coins issued annually, and the newest designs of America the Beautiful will be 36 to 41 out of the 56 planned. This year coins’ honor:
— Michigan National Lakeshore – Pictured Rocks;
— Wisconsin National Lakeshore – Apostle Islands;
— Minnesota National Park – Voyageurs;
— Georgia National Seashore – Cumberland Island;
— Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge – Block Island.
The dates of America the Beautiful Quarters and 5–ounce silver coins haven’t been announced for 2017 yet, but apparently they are going to be presented during the year one by one.
Design Images of the Tail
The designs for 2018 were shown by the U.S. Mint along with brief information of each of 5 designs that will be seen on the other side of the quarters and silver coins. You can see the examples below. These designs were chosen from more than twelve designs submitted by other candidates.
Michigan National Lakeshore – Pictured Rocks
This reverse was created by Paul C. Balan (designer from Artistic Infusion Program) and Michael Gaudioso (sculptor–engraver). The tail demonstrates Chapel Rock with the white pine tree that is located on it, including reading “PICTURED ROCKS”, “MICHIGAN”, “2018” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM”.
Wisconsin National Lakeshore – Apostle Islands
The design of this reverse was made due to collaboration of two artists: designer Richard Masters and sculptor–engraver Renata Gordon. This design includes picturesque scenery on caves at Devils Island. You can see a kayaker approaching sea caves and a lighthouse from the right. The inscriptions read “APOSTLE ISLANDS”, “WISCONSIN”, “2018” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM”.
Minnesota National Park – Voyageurs
The creators of this design are: the designer Patricia Lucas–Morris and sculptor–engraver Joseph Menna. This design features a common loon (Gavia immer) and the cliffs on the background with three pines growing on them. The engravings are: “VOYAGEURS”, “MINNESOTA”, “2018” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM”.
Georgia National Seashore – Cumberland Island
The designer for this reverse was Donna Weave, and sculptor engraver was Don Everhart. The picture demonstrates a snowy egret (Egretta thula) with its wings wide open – being in a ready–to–attack position, sitting on the branch of a tree. The background features the scenery of a salt marsh. The readings on the coin include: “CUMBERLAND ISLAND”, “GEORGIA”, “2018” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM”.
Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge – Block Island
The creators of this reverse are Chris Costello – designer, and sculptor–engraver Phebe Hemphill. The reverse shows black–crowned heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) flying. Beneath the heron we can see the scenery of Cow Cove beach heading to Sandy Point. At the background the lighthouse is located. The engravings read: “BLOCK ISLAND”, “RHODE ISLAND”, “2018” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM”.
Obverse
The series of coins America the Beautiful has the same, classic design of obverse as all the quarter coins since 1932. It depicts the portrait made by John Flangan of the first President of the U.S. George Washington. The portrait on the quarter was slightly changed in 2010, due to digital enhancements in order to improve the quality of picture and make it closer to original and more detailed.