The 2020 America the Beautiful Silver Uncirculated Coins will be released by the United States Mint as the eleventh year of strikes of the America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin™ series. Shown on the reverse of each coin will be a design emblematic of a selected site of national interest from around the United States and its territories.
The America the Beautiful Silver Uncirculated Coins scheduled to be issued in 2020 and the state or territory they represent are:
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American Samoa – 2020 National Park of American Samoa Silver Uncirculated Coin
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Connecticut – 2020 Weir Farm National Historic Site Silver Uncirculated Coin
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U.S. Virgin Islands – 2020 Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve Silver Uncirculated Coin
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Vermont – 2020 Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Silver Uncirculated Coin
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Kansas – 2020 Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Silver Uncirculated Coin
These five coins represent the fifty-first through fifty-fifth for the silver uncirculated coin series.
This series is scheduled to only include a total of fifty-six coins when completed in 2021. The program debuted with five 2010-dated strikes and was scheduled for five new releases annually from that point until the last coin was issued in 2021.
Sites of national interest selected for the series include one from each state, one from the District of Columbia and one from each of the five US territories. These fifty-six sites are then honored in the program in the order in which the sites came under the direct control of the federal government.
Coins of the silver uncirculated series are each struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver to a diameter of three inches. These are the same specifications used by the US Mint for the related America the Beautiful Bullion Coin™ Program. This is not surprising as these uncirculated coins were created by the US Mint as the numismatic versions of the bullion coins.
Aside from the same specifications, the two series also feature identical imagery. The only definitive way to tell the difference between coins of the two series is to look for a mintmark. These uncirculated coins bear a ‘P’ mintmark indicating they were struck at the US Mint’s facility in Philadelphia. The bullion coins are also struck in Philadelphia but contain no mintmark which is standard for US Mint bullion products.
Details on the chosen 2020 America the Beautiful Silver Uncirculated Coin sites are shown below:
National Park of American Samoa of American Samoa
The National Park of American Samoa is comprised of sites found on three separate islands of the United States Territory of American Samoa. It was officially established on October 31, 1988.
The three islands where portions of the park are found include Tutuila, Ofu-Olosega, and Ta‘ū. In total, the park consists of approximately 9,000 acres.
This includes areas of coral reefs and rain forest. Also found within the park are remnants of military fortifications placed on the islands during World War II.
Weir Farm National Historic Site of Connecticut
Weir Farm National Historical Site is located near Ridgefield and Wilton, Connecticut. The site was officially established on October 31, 1990.
Congress created the national historic site to commemorate the work of American impressionist painter J. Alden Weir. Visitors to the site may tour his studio are enjoy the short hiking trail found there.
Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve of the U.S. Virgin Islands
The Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve is located on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was officially established on February 24, 1992.
The site is of important historical significance because it contains the only known land where members of a Columbus expedition actually set foot on land now within a United States territory. It also contains prehistoric and colonial-era archeological sites.
Along with those historical sites, Salt River Bay also hosts forests and marine environments exemplifying the pristine nature of the region.
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park of Vermont
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is located in Woodstock, Vermont. The site was officially established on August 26, 1992.
This site is named after three of its former owners. The land was originally owned by George Perkins Marsh who was an American diplomat and considered by many to be America’s first environmentalist. It was then purchased by Frederick Billings who expanded on the site by purchasing nearby failing farms and reforesting the land as well as building a progressive dairy farm at the site. Finally, Laurence and Mary French Rockefeller owned the property before it was transferred to the federal government.
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve of Kansas
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is located near Strong City in the Flint Hills region of the state of Kansas. It was officially established on November 12, 1996.
As the name of the preserve indicates, the site protects a portion of the once vast tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Tallgrasses once covered over 400,000 square miles of North America. It is estimated that less than 4% currently remains.