2010 Yellowstone America the Beautiful Quarter

The Yellowstone quarter, issued in 2010 as the second coin in the America the Beautiful Quarters series, celebrates Yellowstone National Park, the world's first national park, established in 1872. Its reverse captures the moment of eruption of Old Faithful, one of the most recognizable natural landmarks in the United States.

As an early entry in a long-running, still-collected series, it is a popular pickup for national park enthusiasts and quarter collectors building complete sets by state or site.

Yellowstone was designated the first national park in the world by an act signed by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, decades before the National Park Service itself was created in 1916. Its selection for the America the Beautiful series reflects both its historical primacy among protected US lands and its enduring popularity as a tourist destination.

The coin was released in 2010 alongside the Hot Springs, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Mount Hood quarters, forming the series' first full year of releases following the conclusion of the State Quarters and DC/Territories programs.

The obverse features the America the Beautiful series' Washington portrait. The reverse depicts Old Faithful geyser mid-eruption, with steam and water rising above the geyser cone, accompanied by the words YELLOWSTONE, WYOMING, and the year 2010.

Standard circulation coins in copper-nickel clad were struck at Philadelphia (P) and Denver (D); silver proofs came from San Francisco (S), and a five-ounce, three-inch .999 fine silver bullion version was struck at West Point for the collector market, distinguishable by its much larger size and heft compared to a normal quarter.

The circulating clad version is common and generally trades at face value except in exceptional uncirculated grades. The five-ounce silver bullion edition, due to its silver content and collector appeal as an early series release, typically commands a real premium over standard bullion coins of similar weight.

Silver proof examples from proof sets also see modest premiums when certified in top condition, but overall this is a modestly collected, widely available modern issue outside of its silver bullion format.