Description:
The National Park Service Centennial $1 silver coin honors the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS). Signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916, the National Park Service is a federal organization that oversees the operation and maintenance of many public parks throughout the United States. When An Act To Establish A National Park Service, also known as the Organic Act, was passed in 1916, the National Park Service oversaw 35 parks and landmarks, including Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is one of the nation’s oldest, having been declared a “public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people” by Congress in 1872 and placed “under exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior.”
Over the course of one hundred years, the National Park Service has grown to incorporate more than 400 sites, include more than 20,000 employees and volunteers, and encompasses some 84 million acres across all 50 states. The Park Service hosts millions of visitors each year and provides an array of educational programs for individuals of all ages. The significance of the National Park Service and its contributions to enriching the public warranted a series of commemorative coins celebrating the centennial of this beloved organization.
Congress passed The 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service Act (Public Law 113-291) in the spring of 2014 and President Barack Obama signed it into law on December 19 of that year. The bill authorizes the production of a commemorative half dollar, silver dollar, and $5 gold coin. Specifically, the bill permits a total mintage of 500,000 silver dollars across all finishes.
Proof specimens of the National Park Service Centennial silver dollar are also included (along with the proof clad half dollar and $5 gold coin) in a three-coin proof set.
Obverse:
The National Park Service Centennial 2016 Silver Dollar obverse features an image of a bisonstanding before the Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone National Park. “LIBERTY” spreads across the top center of the obverse along the rim, while “IN GOD WE TRUST” and a “1916-2016” dual-dating feature flank the left and right sides of the Old Faithful element, respectively; the coin’s “P” mintmark symbolic of the Philadelphia Mint sits under the dual-date element. The words “NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CENTENNIAL” sprawls under the design along the bottom rim.
Joseph Menna designed and sculpted the obverse; his initials are located at the base of the geyser, on the right.
Reverse:
The reverse exhibits the right-facing side-profile of a Latina Folklórico dancer rising above the viewer on the left side of the silver dollar, her right arm outstretched across the right obverse field. She bears a banner with the inscription “HERITAGE * CULTURE * PRIDE” and the National Park Service logo is emblazoned upon her decorative dress. A numerical declaration of the coin’s face value, “$1,” is seen on the bottom right side of the obverse, while the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” anchor the top-right side of the obverse field along the rim. Chris Costello designed the reverse, while Jim Licaretz sculpted the design.
Controversy:
Reaction to the dollar coin’s reverse has been mixed, with some collectors wondering what a dancer–especially one of Latin heritage–has to do with either national parks or the Park Service. According to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) during meetings to choose designs for the commemorative program, the dancer is meant to show that the NPS manages a wide variety of culturally and historically significant properties in addition to the natural resources it conserves.
Designer(s): United States Mint engraver Joseph Menna has more than three dozen coin and medal designs to his credit since joining the Mint in 2005 View Designer’s Profile. Chris Costello is an Artistic Infusion Program artist and designer currently working with the U.S. Mint. Engraver Jim Licaretz is a former president of the American Medallic Sculpture Association and has seen a number of his designs appear on U.S. coins and medals (View Designer’s Profile).
Coin Specifications:
Country: United States
Year Of Issue: 2016
Denomination: $1
Mint Mark: P (Philadelphia)
Mintage: 500,000
Alloy: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Weight: 26.730 g
Diameter: 38.1 mm
Edge: Reeded
OBV Designer Joseph Menna
REV Designer Chris Costello/Jim Licaretz
Quality: Proof, Uncirculated
Sursa informaţiilor CoinWeek.
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