Putting the Grand Canyon on the back of a U.S. quarter is like painting a replica of da Vinci’s Last Supper on the head of a pin. But such a feat is being attempted by the United States Mint.
The United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Program is a multi-year initiative to honor national parks including the Grand Canyon National Park. The Grand Canyon quarter is due for release in September 2010.
The final quarter design has yet to be chosen for the Grand Canyon, although several have been created by the United States Mint. (See all four design candidates in the slide show below.)
Two government groups, The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and The United States Commission of Fine Arts, reviewed the four Grand Canyon designs. Both chose the same design, one known as AZ-01 that features a view from one of Grand Canyon’s most remote hiking trails. It depicts a canyon level view of the river and the Nankoweap Granaries from the Nankoweap Trail.
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee commented that design AZ-01 gave a “more immediate, human-scaled view of the canyon.”
“For the coin portraying Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, the Committee narrowly prefers design 1, featuring a canyon-level view of the granaries above the Nankoweap Delta,” reported the committee in a letter to the Secretary of the Treasury.
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee preferred AZ-01 over design 4, which features an aerial view of the canyon. “Both were considered to be powerful images, with design 1 preferred for its more immediate, human-scaled view of the canyon,” stated the letter.
The United States Commission of Fine Arts also liked the AZ-01 design but made a few recommendations. Commission member Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk suggested that the design “could be successful if the foreground is revised.” She suggested that the view be shifted slightly so that the foreground and the vertical face of the canyon are not concentrated toward the center of the composition. “A rightward shift would provide a larger area for depicting the deep perspective view while shrinking the foreground area,” recorded the minutes. Evidentially Plater-Zyberk was unable to see the ancient Nankoweap Granaries in the design, because moving the view left would cut out the ruins, the point of reference for the artwork.
To read more commentary on Washington's recommendations click here.
With both recommendations in hand, the US Mint will announce the final design along with the release date for the Grand Canyon quarter at a later date. So there could still be a chance for your favorite design to win the “tails” spot. Vote for your favorite in the comment field below.
The coins' obverse (heads) will feature a restored version of the familiar 1932 portrait of George Washington
For more information about the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Program, click here.
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