Yosemite National Park to be Featured on New Quarter

Date: July 6, 2010 The General Public is Invited to Attend Special Ceremony Celebrating Quarter Release On July 29, 2010 at 11:00 a.m., the general public is invited to attend a special ceremony to celebrate the launch of the new Yosemite Quarter.  This historic special event will take place in front of the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center and the public is highly encouraged to participate in the festivities.  There will be live music, special guest speakers, and children under the age of 18 at the event will receive a free Yosemite Quarter to commemorate this special day.  There is no charge to attend the event.  A specially designed cake featuring the Yosemite Quarter will be served to all participants attending the event. At the conclusion of the event, there will be a coin exchange in which visitors can obtain rolls of newly minted Yosemite Quarters bearing the design that honors the park.  The quarters will be exchanged at face value, with a one roll minimum and ten roll maximum.  This is the first opportunity for members of the public to obtain this historic, collectable quarter. The reverse (tails side) of the Yosemite Quarter features El Capitan and the Merced River.  El Capitan, the world’s largest granite monolith, is one of the iconic symbols of the world famous national park.  This is the second time that Yosemite National Park has been featured on a quarter.  The first quarter, featuring Half Dome and John Muir, was released in 2005, and was part of the 50 State Quarters Program. “We are thrilled to be the third quarter released as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.  Visitors will now have another opportunity to be reminded of Yosemite National Park with the launch of this beautiful new quarter.  The national parks represent the best of America and this is a great way to honor our nation’s heritage,” said Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher. The Yosemite Quarter is one of the coins featured in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.  This is the first year of the United States Mint’s new 12-year initiative to honor 56 national parks and other national sites in each state.  Each year, the public will see five new quarters bearing the designs emblematic of the site being honored.