U. S. Mint rolls out new quarter featuring a bat

U.S. Mint Rolls Out New Quarter Featuring a Bat

Posted by
1 min read
April 23, 2020

It’s not great timing, but this year, the U.S. Mint rolled out the first coin ever to feature a bat on it.  The new quarter  is honoring the National Park of American Samoa in Utulei, American Samoa. The quarter is the first release of 2020 and the 51st release of the “America the Beautiful Quarters Program”.

The National Park of American Samoa Quarter features a Samoan fruit bat mother hanging in a tree with her pup, evoking the remarkable care and energy that the species puts into their offspring. The design promotes awareness to the species’ threatened status due to habitat loss and commercial hunting. The National Park of American Samoa is the only park in the United States that is home to the Samoan fruit bat.

“This is the first time a bat has been featured on a U.S. coin,” said Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill. “It’s a kind of a neat little texture on the skin on the wing itself, so it was a really fun sculpt to do, especially the eyes. I used some interesting sculpture techniques for the eyes. I had a lot of fun sculpting it.”

Located some 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, National Park of American Samoa is one of the most remote in the U.S. National Park System. The site includes sections of three volcanic islands: Tutuila, Ta’ū, and Ofu. The park’s area totals 13,500 acres, 4,000 of which are underwater. Almost all of the land area is tropical rainforest.

 

 

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

Facebook

Breaking News

Don't Miss