This coin is part of the America the Beautiful silver bullion coins (abbreviated ATB) - a series of 56 silver bullion coins with a face value of a quarter dollar. The coins in the series contain 5oz (five troy ounces) of silver, making them the largest silver bullion coins issued to date by the United States Mint. The design of the coins duplicates exactly - though much enlarged - each of the America the Beautiful quarters. They were issued from 2010 to 2021.
All coins in the series feature a common obverse depicting George Washington in a restored version of the portrait created by John Flanagan for the 1932 Washington quarter, while the reverses feature five individual designs for each year of the program (one in 2021), each depicting a national park or national site - one from each state, federal district, and territory.
The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park quarter design is the third to be released in 2016 and the 33rd overall in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program; it was released on 6 June 2016 and represents the state of West Virginia.
Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, the history of Harpers Ferry has involved a diverse number of people and events influencing the course of US history. Harpers Ferry witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable manufacture, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown’s attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States. It was established as a national site in 1944. |