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America is beautiful. Why not commemorate that fact? The U.S. Mint had the same idea and made the Beautiful Quarters series, celebrating various wildlife spots of great value. Yosemite Park became one of such spots.
We will give this quarter a proper overview, see its value, and possible errors.
Overview — The 2010 Yosemite Quarter
America the Beautiful quarter series ran from 2010–2021. This series gave us many quarters commemorating the natural sites of the US. Every year had something different to offer. The 2014 quarter had Everglades, for example. And overall, there were over 50 designs.
2010 was the year of the Yosemite National Park Quarter, 2010 Grand Canyon Quarter, 2010 Mount Hood Quarter, 2010 Hot Springs Quarter and 2010 Yellowstone Quarter. Two artists worked on the design: John Flanagan (obverse) and Joseph Menna (reverse).
“I guess I would agree that the El Capitan design is the strongest. I also like that the Merced River is in the foreground.”
— National Parks Traveler contributor
“El Capitan Gets Nod To Showcase Yosemite National Park on Commemorative Quarter,” March 27, 2010
Obverse: George Washington’s portrait. This design is common for all post-1932 quarters.
Reverse: El Capitan, a granite monolith that rises 3,000+ feet above Yosemite Valley in California. You will see pine trees in the foreground and the Merced River below.
Overall, the series had a good run, and Yosemite was a great release, popular among both collectors and mountaineers. Yosemite is a mecca, of sorts, to the climbers.
2010 Yosemite Quarter Specifications
Yosemite 2010 Quarter Overview | |
Country | United States of America |
Years of Minting | 2010 |
Type | Circulating commemorative |
Shape | Round |
Edge | Reeded |
Metal Content | Copper–Nickel Clad: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel |
Total Weight | 5.670 grams |
Diameter | 24.26 mm (0.955 inches) |
Thickness | 1.75 mm |
Mintage (Philadelphia, “P”) | 35,000,000 |
Mintage (Denver, “D”) | 35,000,000 |
2010 Yosemite Quarter Value Chart
The value for these coins depends mostly on coin grading.
Condition | Approx. Value (USD) |
Good – Fine (G–VF) | $0.25 – $0.40. |
Extremely Fine – About Uncirculated (XF–AU) | $0.30 – $1.50 |
Mint State | $1 – $8 |
Special Mint Set | $5 – $15 |
2010 Yosemite Quarter Errors and Varieties
Collectors are primarily interested in coins with errors. Anomalies, sort of. Most errors could get you a coin that is worth at least $10, but most errors could even break the $50 mark.
Here are some of the errors that may appear on Yosemite coins:
Die chips/cud marks: Small raised lumps or blobs of missing design detail where a piece of the die fractured or broke away.
Double strikes / multiple strikes: Secondary impressions appear on the surface because the coin was struck more than once. Likely the most well-known error for the 2010 issue.
Off-center strikes: A part of the design is missing because the coin was not perfectly centered under the die.
Die cracks: Raised lines appear on the sports where the die splits.
Conclusion
The 2010 Yosemite quarter is overall common, but attractive, nonetheless, especially if it has an error. Anyone who is already in love with California's nature should love this coin, too.
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