Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial Quarter

2013 will see five new coins as part of the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program, the second of which will be the 2013 Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial Quarter. It also marks the seventeenth quarter since the program began in 2010.

The US Mint should release design candidates for the Perry’s quarter along with the other four 2013 strikes in early 2012. These will then be reviewed by the Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee and the US Commission of Fine Arts for their input. The Governor of Ohio and the Secretary of the Interior will also be consulted before the Director of the Mint forwards all the recommendations (along with his or her own) to the Treasury Secretary who is charged with making the final selection.

The Peace Memorial Quarter should start appearing in circulation sometime in the first half of 2013.


The US Mint will also be issuing a collectible five ounce version of this coin known as the Perry’s Victory and International Peace America the Beautiful Silver Uncirculated Coin.

Additional 2013 America the Beautiful Quarter releases for the year include:

Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial in Ohio

While it commemorates a battle, the memorial truly honors the concept of peace. The monument, touted as the world’s most massive doric column is located in Put-in-Bay, Ohio and stands an eye-catching 352 feet high.

The column was originally constructed from 1912-1915 to commemorate the Battle of Lake Erie which occurred during the War of 1812 between the United States and the British empire. During the battle, nine US vessels successfully captured six British vessels insuring US control of Lake Erie.

Lasting peace was at the heart of the construction of the memorial. It celebrates the close bond between the United States, Great Britain and Canada that has occurred since the War of 1812. It is said that beneath the floor of the monument the remains of three American officers and three British officers are buried.

It is estimated that the massive column weighs over 36,800,000 pounds. All of this rests on a concrete ring that is 9.5 feet thick and 12 feet deep.

The column underwent a massive refurbishment starting in 2009 that is expected to last three years. This multi-million dollar project was the result of concerns over the integrity of the structure after a 500 pound piece of granite fell from the observation deck.