The 2018 Cumberland Island America the Beautiful Silver Uncirculated Coin will be released by the United States Mint as the fourth of five 2018-dated strikes of the America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin™ series. A design located on the reverse of the coin will be emblematic of Cumberland Island National Seashore located in the state of Georgia.
This same design will also be featured on two other US Mint series including the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins™ Program and the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. The fact that the design is used on three US Mint series is not by accident.
Congress created the America the Beautiful Quarters Program and the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin Program with the passage of the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008. Under the terms of the act, both series of coins are to feature the same basic designs.
Then, the US Mint created this series of silver uncirculated coins as the numismatic versions of the bullion coins under the authority granted the Secretary of the Treasury (who oversees the US Mint) in 31 U.S.C. §5111(a) (3) to "prepare and distribute numismatic items." As such, all three programs showcase the same basic designs.
Shown on the obverse of each America the Beautiful coin is a portrait of George Washington, by John Flanagan. This portrait was originally created for the 1932 circulating quarter dollar and has been seen in one form or another on quarters ever since.
Like the related bullion coins, these uncirculated coins are each struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver. They also feature the extremely large diameter of three inches.
Since these uncirculated coins and their bullion counterparts feature similar designs and specifications, the only definitive way to tell coins of the two series apart is to look for a mintmark. The uncirculated coins feature a ‘P’ mintmark indicating they were struck at the US Mint’s facility in Philadelphia. The bullion coins contain no mintmark.
Cumberland Island National Seashore of Georgia
Cumberland Island National Seashore is located on the Atlantic coast of the state of Georgia. It was officially established on October 23, 1972.
The national seashore preserves and protects most of Cumberland Island, the largest of Georgia’s Golden Isles. The seashore consists of 36,415.39 acres including beaches, lakes and marshes.
Also found within the protected area are several historic sites such as the ruins of Dungeness and the Plum Orchard estate.
The National Park Service describes Cumberland Island National Seashore with the following:
"Where Nature and History Meet"
"Cumberland Island is Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier island. Pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches and wide marshes whisper the stories of both man and nature. Walk in the footsteps of early natives, missionaries, enslaved Africans and African Americans and Wealthy Industrialists. Cumberland Island is also home to over 9,800 acres of Congressionally designated Wilderness."