Yosemite Quarter

For some odd reason, I looked at a quarter that I had in my pocket. The back looked different, and I didn't recognize it. Didn't look like any state coin that I had ever seen before. Upon closer inspection, it's a Yosemite Quarter. Considering Yosemite isn't a state in it's self, I decided to look into it a little.

 

Turns out there is a new series of quarters. The "America the Beautiful" series of quarters stated this year. 

"The America the Beautiful Quarters is a series of quarters issued by the United States Mint from 2010 until at least 2021. The series may be extended at the option of the Secretary of the Treasury, potentially extending the series to 2033. The obverse of all the coins will depict George Washington in a restored version of the original portrait used for the 1932 Washington Quarter. ^[1] There will be five new reverse designs each year (one in 2021) each depicting a national park or national site (one from each state, the federal district, and each territory). The program is authorized by the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008.

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While I was searching a little on this current side road of thought that I had, I found the Wiki page on the State quarter program, and thought this little blip was interesting:

Seigniorage

Main article: Seigniorage

Seigniorage is the profit gained by a government when it issues currency. The U.S. government discovered at the launch of the State Quarters series that a large number of people were collecting each new quarter as it rolled out of the U.S. Mint, taking the pieces out of circulation. Since it costs the Mint less than five cents for each 25-cent piece it produces, the government made a profit whenever someone bought a coin and chose not to spend it. The U.S. Treasury estimates that it has earned about $4.6 billion in seigniorage revenue from the quarters so far.^[4] The addition of six new designs in 2009 to recognize the nation's capital and its five territories is expected to boost seigniorage revenue even further, especially since fewer coins will be minted of each design, because six different coins will be issued that year, instead of the usual five, and the number of quarters minted so far for DC, PR and GU has been lower than those minted for any state of the Union (see table).

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So to all those who are collecting these coins, just know that you are giving the Government more money!