2019 American Memorial Park Quarter

The 2019 America the Beautiful quarters mark the 10^th year since the inception of the program in 2010. This year the U.S. mint has come up with some great designs for the next 5 quarters for Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts, American Memorial Park in Northern Mariana Islands, War in the Pacific National Historical Park in Guam, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in Texas and Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho. The American Memorial Park in Northern Mariana Islands is a living memorial for the thousands of American troops and local residents of Saipan who gave up their lives during Second World War. The American Memorial Park quarter was released in April this year and so far, it has had a good run with collectors.

American Memorial Park in Northern Mariana Islands

The Spanish empire was crumbling all over the world at the end of the 19^th century. Spain lost most of its colonies to independence movements or to other countries. After the 1898 Spanish-American War, it lost its Pacific colonies of Philippines, Puerto-Rico and Guam to America. The Spanish felt it was better to sell some of their colonies to willing buyers instead of losing them all for nothing. Germany was ready to buy the Mariana islands for 25 million pesetas (equivalent to 17 million Marks). But after Germany’s humiliating defeat in the First World War, the islands came into Japanese hands because of the South Pacific Mandate. This was a significant incident as Mariana Islands were quite close to Japan and whoever had the islands could strike Japan easily. Japan set about the task of assimilating the Northern Mariana Islands Chamorros into the Japanese way of life for the next 20 years. In the early 1930s, Japan became unfriendly with its earlier allies of Britain, France and left the League of Nations formed by victors after First World War. They planned expansion in the Pacific region and captured Guam which was with the US Navy after the First World War. It was just hours after the Pearl Harbor attack. At the end of war, in the Battle of Saipan, the United States army defeated the Japanese and invaded the Mariana islands. After the war, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands became a common wealth of the United States. To honor the sacrifices of the 5204, both soldiers and civilians who died during the Marianas Campaign of Second World War in Saipan, the American Memorial Park was established in Saipan in 1978.

At the Court of Honor, the American flag is displayed at the center of the Flag Circle and surrounded by the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Coast Guard flags. The Court of Honor consists of 26 granite panels inscribed with the names of 5,204 service members who died.

2019 American Memorial Park Quarter

The U.S. mint released the American Memorial Park Quarter on April 1^st this year. It was designed by Donna Weaver and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. The design depicts a young Chamorro woman in traditional dress at the front of the Flag Circle and Court of Honor. She is shown resting her hand on the plaque whose text honors the sacrifice of those who died in the liberation of Saipan. Inscriptions are “AMERICAN MEMORIAL PARK,” “N. MARIANA ISLANDS,” “2019,” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”

The obverse (heads) of the 2019 quarters will continue to feature the restored 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.”