Shorelines, trees and birds — those are the common design elements appearing on the 2018 America the Beautiful quarter dollars.

United States Mint officials unveiled the designs Aug. 1 at the Mint booth at the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Denver, and then shortly thereafter in the image library at the Mint website.

The 2018 coins in the America the Beautiful quarter dollars program all pay tribute to the natural beauty of sites in five states located in the East and upper Midwest. The national sites to be recognized in 2018 are Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia and Block Island National Wildlife Refuge in Rhode Island.

The peak of Olympic gold coins: Another column in the August 14 weekly issue of Coin World also profiles a rubber token that promotes a commonplace object we all use.

Each design features a scene from the honored site. All five coins show shoreline scenes, with most showing trees and three showing birds that typify the respective sites.

The design representing Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore depicts Chapel Rock and the white pine tree that grows atop it, with the inscriptions PICTURED ROCKS, MICHIGAN, 2018 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. This reverse was designed by Artistic Infusion Program designer Paul C. Balan and sculptured by Mint Sculptor-Engraver Michael Gaudioso.

The design representing Apostle Islands National Lakeshore depicts the sea caves at Devils Island with the lighthouse in the background and a kayaker paddling in the foreground. Inscriptions are APOSTLE ISLANDS, WISCONSIN, 2018 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. This reverse was designed by AIP designer Richard Masters and sculptured by Mint Sculptor-Engraver Renata Gordon.

The design representing Voyageurs National Park depicts a common loon with a rock cliff in the background and the inscriptions VOYAGEURS, MINNESOTA, 2018 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. This reverse was designed by AIP Designer Patricia Lucas-Morris and sculptured by Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna.

The design representing Cumberland Island National Seashore depicts a snowy egret perched on a branch on the edge of a salt marsh, ready for flight. Inscriptions are CUMBERLAND ISLAND, GEORGIA, 2018 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. This reverse was designed by AIP Designer Donna Weaver and sculptured by Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart.

The design selected for the quarter honoring Block Island National Wildlife Refuge depicts a black-crowned night-heron flying over a view from the beach at Cow Cove looking towards Sandy Point. The North Lighthouse is seen in the background. Inscriptions are BLOCK ISLAND, RHODE ISLAND, 2018 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. This reverse was designed by AIP Designer Chris Costello and sculptured by Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill.

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The obverse of the 2018 quarters will continue to feature the 1932 portrait of George Washington by sculptor John Flanagan. Required obverse inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and QUARTER DOLLAR.

2018 marks the ninth year of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program authorized by Public Law 110-456, the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008. The act directs the Mint to design, mint, and issue quarter-dollar coins emblematic of a national park or other national site in each state, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories. In accordance with the Act, the Mint is issuing the new quarters at the rate of five per year until 2020 in the order in which each honored site was first established. The final coin will be released in 2021.