Grand Canyon National Park Quarter

The fourth release during the inaugural year of the new America the Beautiful Quarters Program was the 2010 Grand Canyon National Park Quarter. The Grand Canyon previously appeared on the 2008 Arizona State Quarter, making this the second time in three years that the location was depicted on a circulating coin.

The US Mint has announced the final design which has been selected to be used on the reverse of the quarter. It is a view of the granaries above the Nankoweap Delta in Marble Canyon. These granaries were used to store food and seeds around 500 A.D. The inscriptions read "Grand Canyon", "Arizona", the motto "E Pluribus Unum", and the date of issued "2010".

The Grand Canyon has been appreciated as an area of great geological significance and beauty for the visible rock and mineral layers along the canyon walls. The area was first protected by the federal government in 1893 as part of the a forest reserve, later a national monument, and eventually a National Park in 1919. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long and as much as 18 miles wide and a mile deep in some areas.

The Grand Canyon Quarter was released into circulation on September 20, 2010. Prior to this date the United States Mint released some numismatic products containing collectible proof and uncirculated versions of the quarter. A five ounce silver bullion coin featuring a duplicate design of the quarter was also produced prior to the end of the year.