2012-S Denali National Park America the Beautiful Quarter Clad Proof : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ….

The 2012-S Denali National Park and Preserve Quarter Clad Proof is a collectible coin struck as part of the America the Beautiful Quarter Program, which followed the popular 50 State Quarters Program and celebrated the nation’s national parks. The coin was struck at the San Francisco Mint using the same metallic composition as the circulating quarter, but was struck using specially-prepared dies and planchets to create brilliant mirrored fields and frosted raised elements.

The 2012 Denali Quarter was the fifth and final quarter released in 2012, and the 15th overall in the program. It captures the essence of the rugged Alaskan wilderness and serves as an interesting conversation starter about the naming and renaming of one of America’s most famous mountains.

The History of Denali National Park and Why the Mountain is Called Denali

Denali National Park and Preserve encompasses over six million acres of Alaskan wilderness. The park was originally established as Mount McKinley National Park on February 26, 1917, primarily to protect the area’s wildlife, particularly the Dall sheep. The park’s boundaries were later expanded, and in 1980, it was renamed Denali National Park and Preserve.

The name Denali originates from the Koyukon Athabaskan language, an Alaska Native language. It means “the high one” or “the great one,” a descriptive name used by generations of Indigenous people who lived in the shadow of the continent’s tallest peak. The mountain is a cornerstone of the spiritual and cultural relationship between the Alaska Native peoples and the land, and is often featured in Indigenous stories, myths, and legends, reflecting its central role in their worldview and history.

However, the mountain’s official federal name, however, became Mount McKinley in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1896, a gold prospector named William A. Dickey, who was in the region during the gold rush, named the peak after then-presidential candidate William McKinley of Ohio. McKinley had no personal connection to Alaska and never visited the mountain. This imposed name was formally recognized when the national park was established in 1917.

Controversy Surrounding the Name Change

The duality of the mountain’s name—Denali for Alaskans and Mount McKinley for the federal government—fueled a decades-long controversy.

A movement to officially restore the mountain’s traditional name began in earnest in 1975, when the Alaska Legislature officially petitioned the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) to change the name to Denali. Alaskans largely favored the Indigenous name as a way to honor the state’s heritage and a name that accurately described the colossal peak. Ohio’s congressional delegation opposed the name change and every year Representative Ralph Regula (R-OH-16) introduced amendments or standalone bills blocking the BGN from changing the mountain’s name.

In 2015, six years after Regula left Congress, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, under the direction of President Barack Obama, officially changed the name of the mountain to Denali. This move was broadly celebrated in Alaska and by Indigenous groups, though it was met with immediate criticism from Ohio politicians who viewed it as an insult to President McKinley’s legacy. Ohio’s opposition to the move crossed party lines.

Back to Mount McKinley

As a candidate, Donald Trump took umbrage at Obama’s decision to federally recognize the mountain as Denali, calling it a great insult to Ohio. He vowed to change the name back, but did not fulfill that campaign promise until the start of his second, non-continuous term. Trump’s executive order (EO) stood in stark contrast to public opinion polls in Alaska, went against the wishes of Alaskan natives, and drew criticism from other indigenous groups across the country, which saw the move as colonial erasure of native culture.

Trump’s EO did not change the name of the national park. The 2012-S Denali Quarter Clad Proof, therefore remains current in terms of federal naming conventions. Furthermore, as the coin was struck before the official name change, its design depicts the peak of Mount McKinley as it was federally known at the time.

The 2012 United States Mint Clad Proof Set

The 2012 United States Mint Proof Set was a clad collector set released on May 7, 2012, with an original issue price of $31.95 ($44.85 in 2025-inflation adjusted dollars). The set contained a total of 14 Proof coins, all struck at the San Francisco Mint, including the Lincoln Shield Cent, Jefferson Nickel, Roosevelt Dime, Kennedy Half Dollar, Native American Dollar, four Presidential Dollars (Arthur, Cleveland (1st term), Harrison, and Cleveland (2nd term)), and the five America the Beautiful Quarters for 2012 (El Yunque, Chaco Culture, Acadia, Hawai’i Volcanoes, and Denali). While the 14-coin clad Proof Set was sold as a complete unit, the clad quarters and dollars were also sold in smaller, separate Proof sets, such as the America the Beautiful Quarters Clad Proof Set (containing only the five quarters) and a dedicated Presidential $1 Coin Proof Set. Furthermore, for the first time, the U.S. Mint offered uncirculated versions of the 2012-S clad quarters outside of the Proof Set, selling them in 40-coin rolls and 100-coin bags directly to collectors.

Today the 2012 United States Mint Proof Set sells for about $35, while the standalone quarter sets sell for about $10. Proof 70 DCAM examples currently sell for about $10, which is likely below the cost of third-party grading submission.

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Market Data and Noteworthy Specimen

Top Population: PCGS PR70DCAM (914, 10/2024), NGC PF70UCAM (910, 9/2025), and CAC None Graded (9/2025).

• PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, September 5, 2025 – $12.50. 6 bids.
• PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, September 1, 2025 – $13.75. 6 bids.
• PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, August 30, 2025 – $9.50. 3 bids.
• PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, August 28, 2025 – $7.50. 4 bids.
• PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, August 12, 2025 – $9.51. 4 bids.

Design

Obverse:

A modern reworking of John Flanagan’s Washington Quarter design. Founding Father and first President George Washington’s left-facing bust sits in the center of the coin. Flanagan’s initials JF are visible in the bust truncation. Wrapping clockwise 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:

The reverse design of the Denali Quarter, created by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Jim Licaretz, depicts a Dall sheep in the foreground with Denali (the mountain) rising majestically in the background. The text encircling the design reads “DENALI,” “ALASKA,” “2012,” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”

Edge:

The edge of the 2012-S Denali National Monument Quarter Clad Proof is reeded.

2012-S Denali America the Beautiful Quarter Clad Proof Coin Specifications

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