2013-S 25C Mount Rushmore NP (Regular Strike)

The 2013-S Mount Rushmore Quarter

In 2012, as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters program, the San Francisco Mint produced its first business-strike quarters since 1954—a practice it continues today. For the Mount Rushmore design, the San Francisco struck over one million 2013-S Mount Rushmore Quarters (#517205). Unlike the Philadelphia and Denver strikings, which were primarily produced for circulation, the S-mints were a "collector-only" version that were sold in bag and roll quantity through the United States Mint's numismatic store starting on November 5, 2013. The next day, the Mint held an official launch ceremony at the National Guard Armory in Custer, South Dakota. The event was attended by David Croft, Acting Associate Director for Manufacturing, and a special guest: Nick Clifford, the last surviving worker from the original monument project.

A Landmark in Mint History

The Mount Rushmore Quarter is a high-water mark in the Mint’s aesthetic history, featuring arguably the finest depiction of the monument to ever appear on a United States coin. Released in 2013 as the last of five commemorative quarters for that year, it was the 20th entry in the 56-coin series authorized by Public Law 110-456.

The design honors the "Shrine of Democracy," the massive sculpture in the Black Hills of Lakota Territory managed by Gutzon Borglum from 1927 until its completion in 1941. While the sculpture previously appeared on the 1991 Mount Rushmore Golden Anniversary commemorative coins, the 2013 rendition highlights how much the Mint’s artistic and technological capabilities have evolved.

Certain landmarks are notoriously difficult to depict on a small numismatic canvas; Mount Rushmore, with its issues of scale and "cliché" status, is chief among them. To succeed, future Chief Engraver Joseph Menna made a bold creative choice. Instead of a standard head-on view, Menna brings the viewer in close, showing workers suspended in harnesses and standing on scaffolding as they carve the faces of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. By shifting the perspective nearly 90 degrees, Menna adds immense depth and honors the laborers who realized the work. This ingenious design earned the 2013 Mount Rushmore Quarter the "Best Circulating Coin" award at the 2014 Coin of the Year awards, besting 92 international competitors.

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