Appearing as the last of five 2015-dated strikes of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin™ series will be the 2015 Saratoga America the Beautiful Silver Uncirculated Coin. Showcased on the reverse of the coin will be a design emblematic of Saratoga National Historical Park located in the state of New York.
In addition to being the fifth coin of the year for the series, the Saratoga Silver Uncirculated Coin also marks the thirtieth to be issued in the program overall. The series debuted with five 2010-dated strikes and features five new releases annually until 2021 when the last coin of the program will appear.
Each coin in the series honors a different site of national interest with a design on its reverse. One site was chosen from each state, the District of Columbia and the five US territories. Sites in the program are honored in the order in which they came under the direct control of the federal government.
Coins of this series are struck as the numismatic versions of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins™ series. Coins from both programs are composed of five ounces of .999 fine silver and features a diameter of three inches.
Both also showcase designs originally created for the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. This includes and obverse portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States.
The portrait of Washington was originally created by John Flanagan for use on the 1932 circulating quarter dollar. With minor variations, it has been featured on quarters ever since.
The reverse design for the Saratoga America the Beautiful coins will likely be known until sometime in late 2014. Design candidates for the 2015 coins should be released by the US Mint sometime the previous year giving time for review and selection.
Review will be done by multiple individuals and groups including the Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee and the United States Commission of Fine Arts. However, it is the responsibility of the Secretary of the Treasury to make the final selection based on recommendations from the US Mint.
Saratoga National Historical Park in New York
Saratoga National Historical Park is located in the eastern part of the state of New York. It was officially established on June 1, 1938.
However, before it became a national historical park, the state of New York had already afforded protection to the site as a state historic preserve in 1927. Both were established to protect the site of the Battle of Saratoga fought during the American Revolutionary War.
The Battle of Saratoga was the first major victory for American forces in the war. Its success led to France recognizing the independence of the United States.
The National Park Service describes Saratoga National Historical Park with:
"A Crucial American Victory"
"Here in the autumn of 1777, American forces met, defeated and forced a major British army to surrender. This crucial American victory in the Battle of Saratoga renewed patriots’ hopes for independence, secured essential foreign recognition and support, and forever changed the face of the world."