124) America The Beautiful Quarters (5) : 2014 Fifth Annual quarters set issued by the US Mint:

124) America The Beautiful Quarters (5) : 2014

Fifth Annual quarters set issued by the US Mint:

This is the fifth year in the “America the Beautiful Quarters programme” which was launched in 2010. Every year five quarters are issued featuring five different National Parks or National sites. The Series is expected to run through 2021 with a total of 56 different coins featuring a site for each US State, US Territory and the District of Columbia, presented in the order in which these Parks/sites were federally designated. I have put up posts on each year issues i.e. 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, the links of which are given at the bottom of this Post.

Posted on 17.07.14:

Although the US Mint has stopped shipping coins to India, the 2014 Uncirculated coin set, containing 14 uncirculated coins each from Denver and Philadelphia mints, including the five America the Beautiful Quarters issued this year and the 2014 America the Beautiful Quarters (ATB) Proof set issued by San Francisco Mint have been brought for my collection by Dr. Rupak Mukherjee from the USA during his current visit to India. As such, I am putting up these coin sets so as to complete this Post:

The front of the cover containing the five Proof coins  set issued by the San Francisco Mint during 2014.

The back of the above cover containing the five coins set issued by San Francisco Mint showing images of the National Parks covered in this set.

The obverse of the five coins of the America the Beautiful Quarters (ATB) Proof set issued by the US Mint. These coins carry the “S” Mint mark below the slogan “In God We Trust”.

The reverse of the five Proof coins sets showing the images discussed in detail in this post.

The cover of the album containing the 14 Uncirculated coins set issued in 2014 by the Philadelphia Mint including the five ATB Quarters discussed in this post.

Obverse of the 14 Uncirculated coins set issued by the Philadelphia Mint in 2014.

The Philadelphia mint mark “P” is carried below the slogan “In God we Trust” on all these coins, including the five ATB Quarters.

Reverse of the 14 Uncirculated coins set issued by the Philadelphia Mint in 2014. 

 The cover of the album containing the 14 Uncirculated coins set issued in 2014 by the Denver Mint including the five ATB Quarters discussed in this post.

 Obverse of the 14 Uncirculated coins set issued by the Denver Mint in 2014.

Reverse of the 14 Uncirculated coins set issued by the Denver Mint in 2014 including the ATB Quarters.

The Denver mint mark “D” is carried below the slogan “In God we Trust” on all these coins including the five ATB Quarters.

 Back to the old Post:

The details of the five designs selected for 2014, representing the 21^st to 25^th overall coin releases are as under:

21) Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee:

Early history:

The Smoky Mountains are among the oldest mountains on Earth.

This Area was the homeland of Cherokees Indian prior to the coming of European settlers. Frontiers people settled here in the 18^th and early 19^thcentury.

In 1830, the “Indian Removal Act” shifted the Indians to an area east of the Mississippi River in present day Oklahoma. With the white settlers came railroads and logging and timber became a major industry, destroying the natural beauty of the area at an alarming rate, leading to visitors and locals contributing funds for preserving the natural habitat as the Federal Government was cash strapped.

John D. Rockefeller Jr. chipped in with $5 million and the Federal Govt. supplemented the private citizen’s efforts with $2 million which led to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park being officially established on 15.06.1934.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is situated on the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains which are a part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which, in turn, are a part of the larger Appalachian Mountain Ranges. The main Park entrances are located along US Highway 444 (Newfound Gap road) at the towns of Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Cherokee, North Carolina.

Present Day:

It is USA’s busiest Park, attracting more than twenty million tourists and non-recreational visitors visit the Park every year which is twice the number of visitors to any other National Park.

The Park has been designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 and became a part of the Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve in 1988.

The Park has within its bounds four Historic districts (Cades Cove Historic District, Elkmont Historic District, Noah Ogle Place, Roaring Fork Historic District) and one Archeological district (Oconaluftee Archeological District) as well as nine individual listings on the National Register of Historic Places.

Within the Park a total of 16 mountains are higher than 6000 feet, with average elevations in the park ranging from 876 feet to 6643 feet. At 480 Feet, Fontana Dam on the southern boundary of the Park is the tallest concrete dam, east of the Rocky Mountains.

The size of the Park is about 522500 acres spread over 384 miles of mountain roads. The Park has over 800 sq. miles of mountainous terrain and it has the World’s best examples of deciduous forests and several unique plants and animals. The Park has been designated as an International Biosphere Reserve, primarily because of its Eastern forest vegetation, much of it being old growth.

Flora & Fauna:

The Great Smoky Mountains are home to over 100 native species of trees. There are over 1600 flowering plant species and over 4000 species of non-flowering plants. Rhododendrons and mountain laurel are found in the woodland and craggy peaks. In some areas, only shrubs are found to the exclusion of trees, creating tree-free zones called “health balds” and “laurel slicks”, because they are so hard to get through.

There are more than 200 species of birds, 66 species of mammals, 50 species of fishes, 39 species of reptiles and 43 species of amphibians. The Black Bear is a popular attraction as well as the Elk.

Recreational Activities:

The two main visitor centres are - Sugarlands Visitor’s Centre and Oconaluftee Visitor Centre which also provide exhibits on wildlife, geology and history of the Park among other artifacts/souvenirs.

The Park has several historical attractions, for e.g., Cades Cove – a valley with several preserved buildings including log cabins, barns and churches.

Some leisure activities include hiking, sight-seeing, fishing, horse – riding, bicycling etc. Popular hiking trails include the pinnacle of the Chimney Tops, Laurel Falls and Clingman’s Dome trail, the Appalachian Trail etc. (The “Appalachian National Scenic Trail” or “the AT” which was conceived as a contiguous trail, is a public footpath across 2144 miles of Appalachian mountain ridgelines from Maine to Georgia and was designed, constructed and marked in the 1920s and 1930s by volunteer hiking clubs joined together by the Appalachian Trail Conference – or “ATC”. The AT was opened by August 1937, but, the Trail mostly disintegrated in later years. It was again relocated/reopened in 1951 in its present form. The 1968 National Trails System Act made “the AT”, a linear National Park).

In addition, there are three shelters for extended backpacking trips: Mt. LeConte Shelter, Kephart Shelter and Laurel Gap Shelter.

The Process – How the Great Smoky Mountains gets its name:

The brush and trees grow closely packed. As a result, the water and hydrocarbons exuded by the leaves produces the filmy “smoke” which gives the mountains their name.

Nevertheless, Air pollution in recent times has added microscopic sulfate particles to the haze, cutting back visibility by about 50% over the past six decades. The pollution has affected the Park’s red spruce and insects are destroying the Fraser Fir, which grows side by side with the spruce.

All this has led to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park being considered the most polluted National Park according to several studies. With a view to reducing pollution levels, the Smoky Mountains National Park Authorities have used electric vehicles for transportation.

Other tidbits:

The Great Smoky Mountains was a filming location in Walt Disney’s 1950s TV Series “Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier” apart from several TV documentaries.

 The coin:

 This coin is the 21^st in the America, the Beautiful Quarters Programme.

The Reverse design shows a historic log cabin, with its quaint old fashioned chimney and dated porch, located within the Park. A segment of lush green forest and a hawk circling overhead has been included. A beautiful background of the Smoky Mountains completes the picture on the coin. On the upper periphery is mentioned “GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS”. On the lower Periphery in mentioned “TENNESSEE” “E.PLURIBUS UNUM” (meaning “One among Many”) and the year of issue “2014”. The reverse has been designed by Chris Costello and engraved by Renata Gordon, whose initials will appear on the actual coins.

 The above is an image of a quarter received in general circulation, brought for me from the USA by Jayant Biswas, depicting the above features.

22) Shenandoah National Park, Virginia:

The Shenandoah National Park was authorized on 22.05.1926 and was established on 26.12.1935. It spans 197411 acres. Almost 40% of the land area, i.e. about 79579 acres has been designated as wilderness and is protected as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. 

The Park is situated in the State of Virginia and encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Park is situated alongside the Shenandoah River and the Valley on the West side and the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont on the East.

Some of the rocks which lie exposed in the Park date back to over one billion years. These granite rocks can be seen at Old Rag Mountain and Mary’s Rock Tunnel.

 Humans have been associated with this land for about 11000 years. Native Americans used this land for centuries but left little evidence of their civilization.

The highest Peak is Hawksbill Mountain at about 4000 feet.

The process of setting up the Park:

Shenandoah National Park was built by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a Government Jobs Programme created during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Workers constructed rock walls, overlooks, picnic grounds, campgrounds, trails and the Skyline Drive. They also planted mountain laurel along the road and built more than 340 structures in the Park, many of which are now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The work done by the CCC is commemorated by the statue of a worker – Iron Mike.

To create the Park, more than 465 families (who were using the land for farming, grazing and owned orchards, extracted copper, cut timber, used bark for tanning leather and water power for operating mills) had to be dislodged from some 1088 privately owned tracts living across eight counties. As a result of economic and agricultural activity, much of the Park consisted of farmland and second and third-growth forests logged since the early 1700s. The marks of lumbering, grazing and farming have since been overtaken by the advancing natural forest growth. The result – one of the most beautiful National Parks and scenic Roadways in the USA.

Today, the Park faces many challenges as air quality has declined, forest pest’s invasions and land use patterns around the area have changed.

The Skyline Drive & Recreational Activities:

The Skyline Drive which goes through the Park, runs for about 105 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is flanked by a panorama of forests and mountains. The drive along Highway itself presents a feel of the National Park and is particularly popular in the fall when the leaves are changing their colours.

 From the Drive itself, more than 500 miles of trails can be accessed, including, 101 miles of Appalachian Trail which runs almost parallel to the Drive along its entire length. The Drive follows Ridge trails walked by Indians and early settlers. The most popular trail is Old Rag Mountain. The Stony Man Trail is one of the most scenic trails on the skyline drive. It ends up at a cliff and offers the hiker a beautiful overlook, ideal for watching sunsets.

Other recreations include horseback riding, back-country camping, bicycling etc.

The Park has five major Campgrounds – Matthews Arm, Big Meadows, Lewis Mountain, Loft Mountain and Dundo group Campgrounds. In addition there are 3 lodges/cabins – Skyland Resort lodge, Big Meadows lodge and Lewis Mountain Cabins. Several waterfalls also afford a visual treat – Overall Run, Whiteoak Canyon, Cedar Run, Rose River, Dark Hollow, Lewis, South River, Doyles River, Jones Run are some of the Park’s Waterfalls.

Wildlife:

The Park has a variety of fauna including black bear, mountain lion and timber rattlesnake in addition to coyote, gray fox, bobcat, raccoon, skunk opossum etc. Over 200 species of Birds are found in the Park, including barred owl, Peregrine falcon, red-tailed hawk, wild turkey, Carolina chickadee etc. In addition at least 32 species of fish have been found including brook trout, longnose and blacknose dace, bluehead chub etc.

The coin:

This coin is the 22^nd in the America, the Beautiful Quarters Programme. 

The Reverse design shows a hiker taking in the view from Little Stony Man Trail summit, located within the Shenandoah National Park. One can see the mountain road below as well as a beautiful background of the Blue Ridge Mountains Ranges receding into the distance, which complete the picture on the coin. On the upper periphery is mentioned “SHENANDOAH”. On the lower Periphery in mentioned “VIRGINIA” “E.PLURIBUS UNUM” (meaning “One among Many”) and the year of issue “2014”. The reverse has been designed and engraved by Phebe Hemphill whose initials will appear on the actual coins.

23) Arches National Park, Utah:

The Arches National Park, Utah was originally created as a National Monument on 12.04.1929. The 73000 acre region has over 2000 of these “sculptures of nature”. In 1938, a proclamation was issued for protection of the Arches, spires, sandstone formations, balanced rocks etc. It was redesignated as a National Park on 12.11.1971.

The Natural Arches in the Park form the World’s largest concentration of Natural Stone Arches. Situated high above the Colorado River, the Park is part of Eastern Utah’s extended canyon country. The National Park is a red, arid desert, punctuated with oddly eroded sandstone forms such as fins, pinnacles, spires, balanced rocks and arches.

 The Arches, the giant balanced rocks, spires, pinnacles and slickrock domes against the background of the blue sky all go to present a spectacular landscape shaped by Nature’s forces at work over the Ages. To qualify as an Arch, the opening must measure at least three feet across.

The largest Arch in the Park, Landscape Arch, spans 306 feet from base to base. The highest elevation of the Park is Elephant Butte at 4085 feet. Humans have occupied this Region for over 10000 years.

 Fremont people and Ancient Pueblo People lived here some 700 years ago. The Ute and Paiute Tribes lived here in the 18^th century. Ute Petro-glyphs have been found in the Arches National Park showing horses, goats, rams etc.

The Process:

It seems that some 300 million years ago, inland seas covered the large basin which formed this Region. The Seas refilled and evaporated at least 29 times leaving behind salt beds, thousands of feet thick. Later, sand and boulders were carried down by streams coming from the uplands into the salt beds beneath thick layers of stone. Because the salt layer is less dense than the overlying blanket of rock, it rises up through it, forming into domes and ridges, with valleys in between.

Most of the formations are made of soft red stone deposited 150 million years ago. Much later, groundwater began to dissolve the underlying salt deposits. The sandstone domes collapsed and weathered into a maze of vertical rock slabs called “fins”. Sections of these slender walls eventually wore through, creating these spectacular rock sculptures that are present today.

Some of the popular natural sandstone Arch formations are: Balanced Rock, Courthouse Towers, Dark Angel, Delicate Arch, Frame Arch, Devil’s Garden or the Klondike Bluffs, Double Arch, Fiery Furnace, Tower of Babel, Landscape Arch, Skyline Arch, Petrified Dunes, Parade of Elephants Panorama and Wall Arch (which has since collapsed in 2008).

New Arches are constantly forming while old ones collapse from time to time for example “Wall Arch” which collapsed a few years ago. All told, at least, 43 other Arches are known to have collapsed due to erosion since 1970.

Recreational activity and wildlife:

More than 700000 visitors come to the Park every year. With a view to preserve the fragile high desert eco-system, visitors are required to walk only on designated trails or stay on slickrock or wash bottoms. Rock climbing, backpacking, biking, camping auto touring and hiking are some means of leisure recreation in the Park.

Arches National Park contains ephemeral pools that are essentially mini-ecosystems, home to tadpoles, fairy shrimp and insects. The pools form among the sandstone basins, within potholes that collect the rare rainwater and sediment.

Another unique aspect of the Park is its knobby black ground cover which is amazingly alive. A biological soil crust, it is composed of algae, lichens and cyanobacteria (one of the earliest forms on Earth) which provides a secure foundation for the desert plants.  Other plant life includes prickly pear cactus, Indian Rice grass, bunch grasses, lichen, moss, liverworts, pinyon pine, Mormon tea, black brush, evening primrose, yucca etc.

Also found in the Park are spadefoot toad, antelope squirrel, peregrine falcon, sparrows, red fox, desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, rattlesnakes etc.

Arches National Park has figured in several films and documentaries including the biblical film “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (1965) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989).

The coin:

This coin is the 23^rd in the America, the Beautiful Quarters Programme.

The Reverse design shows “Delicate Arch” which is a 65 foot tall, free standing, Natural Arch, located within the Arches National Park. One can see a vast expanse of rocky flatland and beautiful silhouette of the “La Sal” Mountains Ranges receding into the distance, which complete the picture on the coin. On the upper periphery is mentioned “ARCHES”. On the lower Periphery in mentioned “UTAH” “E.PLURIBUS UNUM” (meaning “One among Many”) and the year of issue “2014”. The reverse has been designed by Donna Weaver and engraved by Charles L. Vickers, whose initials will appear on the actual coins.

24) Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado:

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is located in San Luis Valley in the easternmost parts of Alamosa County, Colorado. It was created as a Monument on 17.03.1932 and established as a National Park and Preserve on 13.09.2004. The Park covers 44,246 acres and the Preserve protects an additional 41, 686 acres of land.

The Park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America rising about 750 feet (230 metres) from the floor of the San Luis Valley on the western base of the San de Cristo Range covering about 19000 acres.

The Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve affords one of the most spectacular visuals to the visitors with the 750 feet tall “Sand Dunes” (or “Sand Hills”) extending for several miles, being dwarfed by the 13000 foot high peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The Dunes sprawl across part of southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley, a broad arid plain between the San Juan Mountains on the West and the Sangre de Cristo on the East.

The process:

The dunes started forming some 440000 years ago

and were formed from sand and soil deposits of the Rio Grande and its tributaries. Several streams and creeks flowing out of the San Juan Mountains over the eons have carried gravel and sand into shallow lakes in the San Luis Valley. These lakes dried up releasing sand particles when the winds blew over them. Digging a few inches into the dunes even at the peaks reveals wet sand, indicating that a substantial amount of water has seeped into the ground.

Strong prevailing south-westerly winds carried the tiny sand particles towards the Sangre de Cristo, piling them against the foothills. The resultant Dunes are the tallest in North America spread over 30 sq. miles.  The crests of the dunes are subject to constantly shifting shapes in the face of constant winds, however the basic shapes of the Dunes remains more or less constant in the face of opposing winds as per the following process:

Prevailing south-westerly winds blow the dune mass north-easterly towards the mountains and occasional but powerful north-easterly winds blow the dunes back towards the south – west. This two-way action of the winds piles the dunes vertically and contributes to the stability of the dune field.

Sometimes, the dunes may get covered with grass and vegetation which also help maintain the stability of the dune field.

Water conservation efforts by the Government and private Conservation groups, helps protect the water in the small streams flowing into the area, which protect the dunes. The dunes contain areas of black sand which are deposits of magnetite, a crystalline black oxide of iron.

Recreational activity and Wildlife:

Visitors are treated to a great diversity of habitats, beginning with the desert dunes, continuing up to the pinyon pines, cottonwoods, aspens etc. on the foothills. The Park also has alpine lakes and tundra ancient spruce and pine forests, large clusters of aspen and cottonwood grasslands and wetlands which cater to diverse wildlife and plant species. Wildlife of the Park and Preserve includes bighorn sheep, black bears, mountain lions, beavers, pikas, badgers, bisons etc. and birds such as ptarmigan, peregrine falcons, owls, eagles, herons etc. while Fish include cutthroat trout and suckers.

At the higher levels spruce fir forests and tundra are seen on the summits of the Sangre de Cristo, which has seven peaks over 13000 feet high. The great Sand Dunes are home to at least six endemic insect species found nowhere else on Earth. The Great Sand Dune Beetle is the best known of these. 

Medano Creek (with its shifting stream-bed), Zapata Falls and sled riding on the dunes are some popular attractions.

In the Preserve Section, Great Sand Dunes National Park allows hunting, including mountain lion hunting with dogs is allowed in the Park, although not within the Park Section. (Unbelievable, in this day and age with so many Animal Rights Groups around!!).

The Coin:

This coin is the 24^th in the America, the Beautiful Quarters Programme. 

                   

  This is an image of a quarter received in general circulation, brought for me from the USA, by Jayant Biswas.
The Reverse design shows a father and son playing in the sand next to the creek bed. One can see the distinctive Sangre de Cristo Mountains and sand dunes of the Park in the background, which complete the picture on the coin. On the upper periphery is mentioned “GREAT SAND DUNES”. On the lower Periphery in mentioned “COLORADO” “E.PLURIBUS UNUM” (meaning “One among Many”) and the year of issue “2014”. The reverse has been designed and engraved by Don Everhart, whose initials will appear on the actual coins.

25) Everglades National Park, Florida:

Everglades National Park in the State of Florida protects the southern 20% of the original Everglades. Its size is 15,42,530 acres and it is the largest subtropical wilderness, east of the Mississippi River and is the third largest National Park in the lower 48 States after Death Valley and Yellowstone.

It has been designated as an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site and a Wetland of International Importance by UNESCO. The Park was conceived in 1934 to protect the declining Everglades and was established on 06.12.1947. The Park is visited by more than one million visitors every year.

The Park is at the southern tip of the Everglades, a 100-mile long subtropical wilderness of saw-grass prairie, jungle-like hammock and mangrove swamp that originally lay between Lake Okeechobee and Florida Bay. Among Birds there are waders like herons, egrets, roseate spoonbills, ibises and brown pelicans.

Humans first inhabited the Area some 10000 to 20000 years ago. Two tribes of Native Americans the “Tequesta” and the “Calusa” are known to have lived here, separated from each other by the Everglades.

The survival requirements for the Park eco-system:

 Everglades National Park was the first National Park to be established to preserve biological diversity and resources and not for its scenic beauty.

Although rock formations are not an attraction of the Park, the limestone that underlies the Park is integral to the formation of the diverse ecosystems within the Park.

Freshwater sloughs (drainage channels) are characterized by low lying areas covered in fresh water flowing at about 100 feet a day. Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough are two important features of the Park.

 Sawgrass growing up to lengths of 6 feet or more give the Everglades the nickname – “River of Grass”. Hammocks are often the only dry land within the Park, rising inches above the grass covered river and dominated by subtropical and tropical trees. The Park features thousands of tree islands amidst the sloughs. Pine Rockland Forests, Cypress and Mangrove Trees abound in the Park and are in need of conservation.

The essential requirement to sustain this ecosystem is water, which, once flowed freely south from the lake. As Southern Florida has been settled the march of civilization has brought with it canals, leeves and dikes which have diverted water to land development and agribusinesses, so much so, that irrigated farmlands have spread all the way up to the Park Gates. This has led to shrinking of the watery habitats within the Park because of water shortages.

Water being a prize commodity for the survival of the Everglades eco-system, moves are in place to purchase/acquire privately owned wetlands around the Park to give the Park a larger claim to the water that Everglades requires.

Recreation and Wildlife:

The diverse life of Everglades National Park ranges from Algae to Alligators and crocodiles. The Park has a unique mix of tropical and temperate plants and animals – including more than 700 plant and 350 bird species, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish, 40 species of mammals, 50 species of reptiles and 36 threatened or protected species including the Florida Panther, American Crocodile and the West Indian Manatee. The Park is the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America and contains the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere.

Recreation and leisure activities include camping, motorboat and canoeing  excursions are popular along with walking trails, in particular, the Anhinga Trail, the Gumbo Limbo Trail, Christian Point Trail, Snake Bight trail, Rowdy Bend Trail and Coastal Prairie Trail which are some of the more frequented ones.

The Coin:

This coin is the 25^th in the America, the Beautiful Quarters Programme. 

The Reverse design shows an anhinga with outstretched wings on a willow tree with a roseate spoonbill visible in the midnight. One can see a water body with grassy outgrowths and the forest glades of the Park, in the background, which complete the picture on the coin. On the upper periphery is mentioned “EVERGLADES”. On the lower Periphery in mentioned “FLORIDA” “E.PLURIBUS UNUM” (meaning “One among Many”) and the year of issue “2014”. The reverse has been designed by Joel Iskowitz and engraved by Joseph Menna, whose initials will appear on the actual coins.

The Obverse of all these coins will feature the 1932 portrait of George Washington designed by John Flanagan. Also seen on the obverse are the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”, “LIBERTY”, “IN GOD WE TRUST” .The Mint marks “P” (Philadelphia), “D” (Denver) and “S” (San Francisco) will also appear on this face depending on the mint which has minted these coins – uncirculated sets (P & D) and proof sets (S).

The specifications of this coin set are :

Composition:8.33%nickel,balance copper.                  

Weight: 5.67 gms. 

Diameter: 24.30 mm or 0.955 inch.

edge: Reeded. 

P.S: I was not able to book these coins on the US Mint website this year as the website was reading "India" as Indiana". Perplexed, I took up this difficulty with the US Mint, which has advised me that they are no longer "shipping to India", without assigning any reason whatsoever. The website has done another "strange" thing, by changing my address in the earlier shipped orders from 2010 onwards, from "India" to "US", an anomaly which they have not corrected despite my taking up with them several times. I have placed a light-hearted article on my "strange experience" on this blog, which can be accessed through the link placed at No. 11 below.

Links:

1) America The Beautiful Quarters 2010

 2)America The Beautiful Quarters 2011

3) America The Beautiful Quarters 2012

4) America The Beautiful Quarters 2013

5) America The Beautiful Quarters 2014

6) The Great Seal of the United States of America

7) Susan Anthony dollar

8) Native American Themed Dollar Programme

9) State Commemorative Quarters Programme

10) New $ 100 Bill with Additional Security Features

11) The Strange Case of me becoming a US Citizen without even applying for it, thanks to the US Mint

12) Westward Journey Nickels

13) US Bicentennial Coins

14) Forever stamps: Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the US Civil War 1861-1865

15) Commemorating the 225th Anniversary of the U.S. marshals Service with coins

16) American Gold Buffalo Coins

17) American Gold Eagle Coins

18) America the Beautiful Quarters - 2016