2013-D 25C Mount Rushmore NP MS66 Certification #28096017, PCGS #517204

Charles Morgan

The 2013-D Mount Rushmore National Park Quarter

With a mintage exceeding 272 million, the 2013-D Mount Rushmore America the Beautiful Quarter (#517204) is a common clad issue, yet it stands out as arguably the finest depiction of the national monument on United States coinage. Issued on November 4, 2013, it was the final release of its year and the 20th overall entry in the 56-coin America the Beautiful Quarters Program (authorized under Public Law 110-456 from 2010 to 2021).

The monument — entitled Shrine of Democracy and carved by sculptor Gutzon Borglum from 1927 to 1941 in South Dakota's Black Hills — is notoriously difficult to render on a small numismatic canvas. While earlier attempts like the 1991 Mount Rushmore Golden Anniversary series highlighted the challenges of scale and perspective, the 2013 quarter demonstrates how dramatically United States Mint design evolved over two decades.

Sculptor-engraver (and future Chief Engraver) Joseph Menna bypassed the traditional, head-on landscape view. Instead, he shifted the perspective by nearly 90 degrees and zoomed in to showcase workers finishing the faces of Thomas Jefferson (foreground) and George Washington. This dynamic angle conveys the sculpture's colossal scale while honoring the laborers who built it. The composition was a critical triumph, winning Krause Publications’ 2014 Coin of the Year award for Best Circulating Coin over 92 international competitors.

Coin Launch Ceremony

The official release ceremony took place on November 6, 2013, in Custer, South Dakota, attended by Mint official David Croft and Nick Clifford, the last surviving worker from the original construction crew.

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