Honoring the National Park Service
The 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service was celebrated in 2016. The National Park Service manages national parks, monuments, and other protected sites within the National Park System. Roosevelt was a rugged outdoorsman and a friend of Muir. Muir promoted the idea of a national park system across the continent. He devoted much of his adult life to preserving forests. John Muir influenced Theodore Roosevelt to strengthen federal protection of Yosemite and expand conservation policies nationwide. Roosevelt’s conservation legacy also includes the creation of wildlife refuges and the major use of the Antiquities Act of 1906. Together, their conservation efforts helped lay the groundwork for lands that later became part of the National Park Service.
The United States Congress authorized three commemorative coins to be issued for the occasion through the National Park Service 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Program. The United States Mint was to strike a clad half dollar, a silver dollar, and a five-dollar gold coin.
2016 National Park Service Commemorative Half Dollar Clad Coin
The clad half dollar would be designed to depict the diversity of the various areas managed by the National Park Service. The obverse of this clad half dollar was designed by Barbara Fox and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso. The obverse of the coin is divided into two separate scenes by a banner on which “NATIONAL PARK SERVICE” is inscribed. The top portion depicts a hiker on a cliff, looking across a vast, open lake to distant mountains. The bottom portion is slightly larger and depicts a young child looking through the leaves at a frog. It has the notations of the dates “1916 2016,” the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and the word “LIBERTY.”
The reverse of the clad half dollar features the National Park Service’s arrowhead logo. The logo features all the elements of the NPS – a Giant Sequoia tree representing the flora and fauna of the forests, the American Bison symbolizing all wildlife, and the mountains and lake representing the natural resources the NPS manages. Above the logo is the motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” The upper periphery has “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” while the lower periphery has the denomination “HALF DOLLAR,” with “STEWARDSHIP” on one side of the denomination and “RECREATION” on the other side. The reverse was designed by Thomas Hipschen and sculpted by Charles L. Vickers.
(A 2016-D National Park Service Commemorative Clad Half Dollar, Uncirculated, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].)
The uncirculated coins were struck at the Denver Mint and bear a “D” mintmark, while the proof versions were struck at the San Francisco Mint and bear an “S” mintmark. The Congress authorized a maximum of 750,000 coins across both versions. Uncirculated coin sales totaled 21,335 coins, and 54,962 of the proof coins were sold.
2016-P National Park Service 100th Anniversary Silver Dollar
Joseph Menna designed the obverse of the coin. It depicts the two most iconic symbols of Yellowstone National Park: the geyser “Old Faithful” erupting and an American Bison. Above the geyser on the upper periphery is the word “LIBERTY,” while on the lower periphery is the reason for this coin’s issuance – “NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CENTENNIAL.” To the right of the geyser are the dates on two lines, “1916 2016,” and to the left is the motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
The reverse of the coin was designed by Chris Costello and sculpted by Jim Laceretz. It depicts a ‘Latina Folklorico’ (Latin Folklore) dancer holding a ribbon inscribed with the words “HERITAGE * CULTURE * PRIDE.” The National Park Service logo is on the dancer’s costume. The design represents cultural heritage preserved within the National Park System, particularly sites connected to Hispanic and Latino history. The upper periphery has the mottoes in two lines, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” The denomination is to the right and is expressed as “$1.”
Both uncirculated and proof coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint, and both bear a “P” mintmark. The maximum authorized mintage was 500,000 coins across both types. The uncirculated version sold 21,003 coins, and the proof version sold 77,367 coins.
2016 National Park Service 100th Anniversary $5 Gold Coin
Both the obverse and reverse of this coin were designed and sculpted by Don Everhard. The obverse design portrays portraits of two prominent people in the creation of the National Park Service – President Teddy Roosevelt and Naturalist John Muir. Roosevelt.
The obverse of this commemorative gold coin depicts the profile of both historic men, facing left. Behind them is Yosemite’s famous “Half Dome” peak. Above them is the word “LIBERTY.” Below the portraits is the date “2016,” and the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
The reverse of this commemorative gold coin depicts the National Park Service logo as a sign, hanging from a wooden post, as one would expect to see in any American National Park. The outer periphery displays “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” as well as “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” To the right is the denomination, which is expressed as “$5.”
The West Point Minting facility struck the uncirculated and proof versions of this gold commemorative. An authorized maximum mintage of 100,000 could be struck between both types. The uncirculated version sold 5,201 coins while the proof version sold 19,510 examples. Explore these commemorative coins and other modern U.S. gold commemorative coins and U.S. silver modern commemorative coins.
(A 2016-W National Park Service 100th Anniversary $5 Gold Coin, Uncirculated, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].)
(A 2016-W National Park Service 100th Anniversary $5 Gold Coin, Proof, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].)
