The 2013 White Mountain America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin will be the first strike of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin™ Program of that year. It also marks the sixteenth coin in the program overall which launched in 2010 and runs through 2021 with a total of 56 new issues.
As these coins are a companion series to the quarter dollars also authorized by the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008, the bullion coins will have similar designs to those circulating quarters. However, as these bullion pieces are struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver, their weight and fineness will be edge inscribed as to not dilute the obverse and reverse design. Each bullion coin will also have a diameter of three inches.
Just like the quarters, George Washington (the first President of the United States) will be seen on the obverse of these bullion strikes.
The White Mountain coin will have an image showing a portion of White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire on its reverse. Design candidates for this coin should be available for viewing in early 2012 when it will be up for comment by the Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee, the Commission of Fine Arts, the governor of New Hampshire and the Secretary of the Interior. All of these opinions will be collected by the Mint Director and then forwarded along with his or her own to the Treasury Secretary.
The authorizing act for the coins dictates that the Treasury Secretary shall make the final selection. Their choice should be unveiled in early 2013 shortly before this coin is released.
Each coin of this series (of which there will be 56 total) is to feature a site of national interest including places like national parks, national recreation areas, national forests, national preserves, etc. One site is to be chosen from each state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories — Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Once minted, the US Mint will sell these bullion strikes only in bulk to its network of authorized purchasers. This group will then resell them to coin dealers and individuals for a small premium over the current spot price of the five ounces of silver which they contain.
Since this is the first America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin to appear in 2013, it will be followed by four other bullion pieces which will honor Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial in Ohio, Great Basin National Park in Nevada, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Maryland and Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota.
White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire
Most of White Mountain National Forest is located in New Hampshire, but a small portion is found in the neighboring state of Maine.
Today the forest consists of almost 800,000 acres, but truly owes its creation to the Weeks Act of 1911. This legislation allowed the federal government to purchase private lands (primarily in the Eastern United States) for the sole purpose of forming national forests. In 1914, 7,000 acres were bought for $13 an acre in the first purchase under the act in the area. This led to the establishment of White Mountain National Forest in 1918.
Due to its proximity to the metropolises of the eastern coast, White Mountain is within a days drive of over 70 million people. This leads to the forest being one of the most visited in the country with an estimated 6 million people visiting annually.
Those visitors partake in the many recreational opportunities provided by the forest including:
- 4 alpine ski areas
- 6 ski touring areas
- 23 fully developed campgrounds
- 160 miles of the well-known Appalachian Trail
- over 400 miles of snowmobile trails
- an astonishing 1200 miles of hiking trails
- 4,750 miles of streams
- 67 lakes
With all of these notable activities and locations waiting for visitors, it is not hard to understand why so many enjoy this national forest.