Appearing as the third of five 2018-dated releases of the United States Mint’s America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin™ series will be the 2018 Voyageurs America the Beautiful Silver Uncirculated Coin. Shown on the reverse of this coin will be a design emblematic of Voyageurs National Park located in the state of Minnesota.
Along with being the third strike in the series released in 2018, the Voyageurs Silver Uncirculated Coin will also mark the forty-third of the complete program. Coins of this series debuted with five 2010-dated strikes and feature five new coins issued annually in the program until the last one is scheduled to appear in 2021.
The United States Mint created this series as the numismatic versions of its America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins™ Program. It did so 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."
This differs from the bullion coins themselves which were directly authorized by Congress along with a series of circulating quarter dollars known as the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program with the passage of the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008. This act became Public Law 110-456 when signed by President George W. Bush on December 23, 2008.
Under the stipulations of the act, the bullion coins were to be struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver. As numismatic versions of those bullion coins, the uncirculated coins are also struck from the same five ounces of silver.
The act further stipulated that the bullion coins contain the same basic obverse and reverse designs as the bullion coins. By extension then, these designs also appear on the uncirculated coins.
Shown on the obverse of each America the Beautiful coin is a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States. This portrait was originally completed by John Flanagan and first featured on the 1932 circulating quarter dollar. In one form or another, the portrait has been seen on quarters ever since.
The reverse will contain the design emblematic of the selected site of national interest, in this case Voyageurs National Park of Minnesota.
Voyageurs National Park of Minnesota
Voyageurs National Park is located along the boundary waters between Canada and the United States in the state of Minnesota. It was officially established on April 8, 1975.
This national park is quite different from most other national parks in that it consists mostly of water. In fact, the park includes 344 square miles of water.
Consequently, a majority of the park is only accessible by boat during the warmer months. In the winter, the lakes freeze over allowing other options for travel.
The National Park Service describes Voyageurs National Park with:
"The Heart of the Continent"
"Voyageurs National Park lies within the heart of the North American Continent. Here you can see and touch rocks half as old as the world, experience the life of a voyageur, immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of a boreal forest, view the dark skies, or ply the interconnected water routes."
"So leave your car behind and set out on the water highways of the North Woods."