U.S. Mint to Release New Quarters Featuring Samoan Fruit Bats

The United States Mint has released the final designs for the America the Beautiful Quarters program, and one of the designs depicts a Samoan fruit bat hanging in a tree with her pup.

The quarter was designed by Richard Masters, and Phebe Hemphill was the sculptor, according to the US Mint. It is being released to honor the National Park of American Samoa.

The design of the quarter is being used to raise awareness to the threatened status of Samoan fruit bats due to habitat loss and commercial hunting, according to the US Mint. Samoan fruit bats are native to the National Park of American Samoa.

Located 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, it is one of the most remote parks in the US National Park System, the US Mint says.

The America the Beautiful Quarters Program was started in 2010 by the United States Mint. Every year, 56 quarter-dollar coins featuring designs depicting national parks and other national sites are released.

via: https://ktla.com/2020/01/12/u-s-mint-to-release-new-quarters-featuring-samoan-fruit-bats/

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