Imagine going to the grocery store and getting a national forest quarter as your change and holding onto it as a collector’s item. That can happen now because of the recent release of the El Yunque National Forest coin. The coin features the endangered Puerto Rican parrot and the coqui tree frog amongst tropical vegetation.
In 2010, the U.S. Mint began issuing a series of quarters featuring national forests along with other sites highlighting’America the Beautiful’. The Mt. Hood National Forest (Oregon) was the first forest to be commemorated and circulated that year. Next in line are: the White Mountain National Forest (New Hampshire) in 2013; Kisatchie National Forests (Louisiana) in 2015; Shawnee National Forest (Illinois) in 2016 and the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness which is part of the Bitterroot, Nez Perce, Payette and Salmon-Challis National Forests (Idaho) in 2019.
All quarters will feature a portrait of President George Washington on the front or “heads” side of the coin and the national forest image on the reverse or “tails” side.
These forests were picked from the agency’s 155 national forests based on their intrinsic natural beauty and/or historical significance. What better way to learn about our national forests and treasure them as collector’s items than through the America the Beautiful Quarters Program. Perhaps during your next visit to a merchant, you will receive the coin or coins in change.
For more information, check out the U.S. Mint website here, or here.