Letter
Dear Mr. Peterson:
In its meeting of 15 November, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed alternative reverse designs for the five America the Beautiful coins for issue in 2014 as circulating quarters and as silver bullion coins. The Commission's recommendations were as follows:
Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Tennessee). The Commission recommended alternative #3 as a strong design that conveys the character of the park's landscape.
Shenandoah National Park (Virginia). The Commission members recommended alternative #5 as the best drawing, which also deemphasizes the figure of a hiker. They requested careful study of the geometry of the road that appears in the composition, commenting that a straight segment is uncharacteristic of parkway design.
Arches National Park (Utah). The Commission recommended alternative #1, commenting that it conveys the sense of experiencing the park with a legible landscape feature at the scale of a coin.
Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado). The Commission members recommended alternative #6, which they said best conveys a distinction between the foreground, midground, and background landscapes.
Everglades National Park (Florida). The Commission recommended alternative #4 as the most evocative of the park, with the request to remove the cloud from the background of the design.
As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Richard A. Peterson, Acting Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20220
cc: Ron Harrigal, U.S. Mint