By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes….
The America the Beautiful Quarters Program debuted on the heels of the 50 State Quarters Program and its adjunct District of Columbia and Territories program.
Authorized by Public Law 110–456, the America the Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008, called for the “issuance of redesigned quarters dollars emblematic of national parks or other national sites in each state, the District of Columbia, and each territory.
Similar to the issuance order of the 50 State Quarters Program, America the Beautiful National Parks quarters are issued one per state, based on the order in which the selected site were first established as a National Park.
Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountain National Park quarter was the first issue of 2014, released on January 27. It is the 21st quarter in the 56-coin series.
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2014-P Great Smoky Mountains Quarter Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens
Top Population: PCGS MS68 (7, 9/2025), NGC MS68 (76, 9/2025), and CAC N/A (9/2025).
- PCGS MS68 #47065566: eBay, September 16, 2025 – $785. Buy It Now.
- Uncirculated (Raw): eBay, September 22, 2025 – $2.05. Buy It Now.
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Design
Obverse:
A modern reworking of John Flanagan’s Washington quarter design. Washington’s left-facing bust sits in the center of the coin. Flanagan’s initials “JF” is visible in the bust truncation. Wrapping around the top of the coin is the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. To Washington’s left is the inscription LIBERTY. To his right, the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The coin’s denomination wraps around the bottom of the coin, written as QUARTER DOLLAR.
Reverse:
U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program artist Chris Costello designed the reverse; his initials CTC are found on the bottom of the central design, above and to the left of the “2” in “2014”. Sculptor-engraver Renata Gordon engraved the quarter. Her initials RG are on the bottom of the central design and to the right of the “4” in “2014”.
The design itself focuses on a log cabin typical of the kind found in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It most closely resembles Cook Cabin in the Cataloochee Valley area of the Smokies in North Carolina, not Tennessee. Still, the cabin is presumably an amalgam and not strictly designed to represent one single landmark.
In front of the cabin is a log fence. Behind the cabin are the woods, and behind the woods are a few peaks of the Smoky Mountains. A hawk flies free above the scene.
Coin Specifications:
| Year Of Issue: | 2014 |
| Denomination: | Quarter Dollar |
| Mint Mark: | P (Philadelphia) |
| Mintage: | 73,200,000 |
| Alloy: | 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel |
| Weight: | 5.67 grams |
| Diameter: | 24.3 mm |
| Edge: | Reeded |
| OBV Designer | John Flanagan |
| REV Designer | Chris Costello (design); Renata Gordon (sculpt) |
| Quality: | Uncirculated |
