2020 American Samoa Quarter – National Park Edition, Value & Errors

It was the final year of the America the Beautiful program, so the Mint decided to go with something worth attention. They did lots of landscapes previously to show Americans how big, beautiful, and rich in history their land is. 

But the 2020 American Samoa quarter has… a Samoan fruit bat mother and pup. Why so? The U.S. government wanted to raise awareness for the species, which deals with habitat pressure in island forests. 

There is a Weir Farm, which is about beautiful landscapes and artists, a quarter about the Pacific War, the pieces about famous people, like Frederick Douglass, the choice of topics is pretty wide and random, so why not a bat after all? But is the coin worth anything? 

Overview of the 2020 American Samoa Quarter

The obverse has the restored Washington portrait. It was the 1932 John Flanagan portrait, but sharpened. The Mint launched the America the Beautiful program and went back to Flanagan’s early models. They digitally restored the original sculpt with sharper curls and a more defined jawline. Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco were in charge of the strikes, and, like with the rest of the series, there is a five-ounce silver version. 

The American Samoa National Park quarter uses wildlife instead of buildings or landmarks. Why did they choose this location? Its rainforest is the only paleotropical rainforest in any U.S. national park. It has plants and animals that have ancient Southeast Asia origins. 

“The site includes sections of three islands—Tutuila, Ta’ū, and Ofu. Almost all of the land area of these volcanic islands—from the mountaintops to the coast—is tropical rainforest. The park’s area totals 13,500 acres, 4,000 of which are underwater.”

— The United States Mint

From the United States Mint website 

Just offshore, the park protects one of the most intact Indo-Pacific coral reef systems in the world. Over 230 coral species and hundreds of fish species live here. Those reefs have unusual resilience to warming waters. This is useful for scientists to study because climate change is accelerating really fast. Basically, the coin has a water theme, but not like the  Salt River Bay or the River of No Return; it has a more tragic story.

Samoan communities have relied on these waters for food, stories, and spiritual traditions for thousands of years. The land itself is not federally owned; it is leased from local villages, with traditional Samoan land stewardship under the matai (village chiefs).

Value and Worth of the American Samoa Quarter

The American Samoa quarter value is not big (yet!). Circulated pieces have face value, and uncirculated pieces have a bit bigger price (somewhere around $30), San Francisco proofs in particular. 

An approximate price for the regular piece:

The silver-proof edition American Samoa quarter 2020 has the biggest price of them all. 

Errors and Varieties for the 2020 Samoa Quarter

The American Samoa quarter error does not exist, at least for now. Some coins have light die wear, but there are no misstrikes. 

Typical minor finds:

• Small die chips in the bat’s wings or ear outline

• Weak strikes where the fur texture fades noticeably

• Light doubling on lettering

• Thin die cracks near the rim or branch lines

The American Samoa state quarter from this year is still enjoyable to examine because the bat’s shape makes small flaws stand out clearly. 

Conclusion

Among dozens of landscapes (beautiful, no doubt), you would definitely remember the American Samoa 2020 quarter. Yes, it is too early to sell it for thousands of dollars; the main recommendation here is to keep it until it gets older. The national park American Samoa quarter looks great in any collection, and there are silver pieces still avaliable. So yes, it is worth collecting.