Americans Rally Around Quarters Honoring Women

Th e American Women Quarters series debuted in 2022 with much fanfare, beckoning some of the most enthusiastic public reception since the 50 State Quarters program of 1999-2008. Courtesy of the United States Mint.

By Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez

Th e 50 State Quarters became a once-in-a-generation hit when they were released by the United States Mint in 1999. Th e decade-long series that honored each of the 50 states in the order they joined the Union enjoyed unprecedented popularity that hasn’t been seen by a U.S. coin program before or since. Th e U.S. Mint estimated 147 million people – nearly half of the nation’s population – were passively or actively collecting the 50 State Quarters during their 10-year run that began in 1999 and ended in 2008.

Kermit the Frog of Muppets fame was the innovative program’s “spokesfrog,” each state quarter’s gala release ceremony garnered coverage from evening television news outlets, and even late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien parodied the coins on a regular basis with his hilarious recurring “New State Quarters” segment. And after years of other long-running coin programs falling short of building the fervor the 50 State Quarters mustered, it looks like the U.S. Mint has coined another success with the American Women Quarters. Honoring Pioneers

Th e American Women Quarters program launched in 2022 and will carry through until 2025 honoring fi ve women each year. Th e commemorative initiative was authorized by Public Law 116-330, Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, and stipulates the following: “Th e design on the reverse side of each quarter dollar issued under this subsection shall be emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of one prominent woman of the United States, and may include contributions to the United States in a wide spectrum of accomplishments and fi elds, including but not limited to suff rage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and arts, and should honor women from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds.”

Meanwhile, the obverse carries a portrait of President George Washington designed by Laura Gardin Fraser. While this particular portrait of Washington may seem new to most Americans who fi nd the redesigned quarters in circulation, it’s

Dr. Maya Angelou (left) and Dr. Sally Ride (right) are two of the women whose likenesses grace the reverse of the 2022 Quarters. Angelou was an inspiring poet and social activist, while Ride became the fi rst U.S. female astronaut and spent the rest of her life promoting the sciences. Public domain images sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

a classic motif that was originally recommended for the quarter in 1932. However, Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon instead chose the familiar Washington bust by John Flanagan, which was used in its original form from 1932 until 1998 and one last time for most of 2021, as seen on the 2021 Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter. Th ose who collect modern United States commemorative coins may remember the Fraser version of the Washington bust appearing on the 1999 George Washington Commemorative Half Eagle.

The e 1999 1999 $5 $5 WasWash hingtonington commemorat commemorati iv ve e co coinin h honor onorining g t th he e 200th anniversary of George Washington’s death features the Laura Gardin Fraser bust of the nation’s fi rst president that was proposed for the quarter in 1932 but ultimately rejected in favor of John Flanagan’s design (right). Courtesy of PCGS TrueView. Making Waves

Most collectors have come to expect coin releases to make headlines in the numismatic media. U.S. Mint news is pretty much standard reading fare in many of the hobby’s publications, but for the most part that is the extent to which the news circulates. Relatively few people beyond coin collecting circles seem to catch wind about the latest commemorative coin releases, proof coin off erings, and the like. But it’s been pretty hard to miss the buzz about American Women Quarters. Th ey’re in the news. Th ey’re on social media. Even friends and neighbors are talking about them. No United States coin program has cultivated this much organic interest and widespread attention since the 50 State Quarters.

It’s shades of 1999 all over again, when the statehood quarters had become the focus of a nationwide treasure hunt. Perhaps some of the excitement is because the American Women Quarter series is giving women, particularly those of historically underrepresented groups, a space on circulating coins. But it’s also more than that. Many of the faces appearing on these coins are modern-day household names that, while sadly no longer with us, were alive and actively making history during the memory spans of most Americans living today. Th en there are the names that many Americans may not immediately recognize but about whom curiosity swirls because designs honoring them are turning up in pocket change.

PCGS Rare Coin Market Report Editor-in-Chief Joshua

McMorrow-Hernandez holds the first 2022 Maya Angelou

Quarter he found in circulation in February 2022. Courtesy of Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez. Who’s on the American Women Quarters?

Some names may sound familiar, with activist and poet Dr. Maya Angelou and first American woman astronaut Dr. Sally Ride among the first to appear on these new quarters. Then there are other figures whose names have largely flown under the radar of general pop culture and who may be appearing before the conscious eyes of many for the first time.

The United States Mint has already begun producing the entire run of 2022 American Women Quarters, which honor the following: • Dr. Maya Angelou – A social activist, celebrated poet, and influential writer • Dr. Sally Ride – The first woman in space, accomplished physicist, and respected educator • Wilma Mankiller – The first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation • Nina Otero-Warren – A New Mexico suffrage leader and the first woman to serve as superintendent of Santa Fe public schools • Anna May Wong – A pioneering Chinese American Holly wood movie actor

The list of 2023 honorees have also been revealed, and they are: • Bessie Coleman – The first African American and Native American pilot and first African American to earn an international pilot’s license • Jovita Idar – An acclaimed Mexican American journalist, educator, and activist • Edith Kanaka'ole – An indigenous Hawaiian composer, entertainer, and teacher • Eleanor Roosevelt – The first lady and innovative social reformer • Maria Tallchief – The first major prima ballerina in the United States

The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) will be discussing which designs will be recommended for the future issues. Members of the public who are interested in learning more about attending these meetings should call the CCAC Hotline at (202) 354-7502. Searching for American Women Quarters in Circulation

The first Maya Angelou Quarters were hitting pockets and purses within the first few weeks of the year in winter. Sally Ride Quarters began orbiting channels of commerce during the spring, and now 2022 Quarters honoring Wilma Mankiller will begin turning up in circulation across the country within days of their June 14 release. For many, the American Women Quarters have been remarkably easy to find.

According to United States Mintage figures, a total of 595,400,000 quarters were minted at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints during the first quarter of 2022. If numbers from those first three months of production are extrapolated into the rest of the production year, the U.S. Mint could easily surpass 2 billion quarters for the entirety of 2022. Whether or not that bears out when production for the year ceases after the end of 2022 remains to be seen, but that would be on par with last year’s total output of circulating 2021 Quarters, which cumulatively came to 2,168,200,000 from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints combined. Not too shabby!

And given the incredible demand for the American Women Quarters from virtually all corners of society, 2 billion (or more) might just barely be enough to satisfy the demand. Countless collectors are searching pocket change, rolls, and bags not just to fill holes in their sets but also to look for any varieties and errors that may be floating around out there. Many of the high-end pieces straight from rolls and bags, including attractive individual specimens turning up in change, are being submitted to PCGS for grading. Among the options collectors have when submitting their American Women Quarters for grading is encapsulation with an exciting American Women Quarters label inspired by J. Howard Miller’s World War II-era poster known as “We Can Do It,” featuring timeless icon of female empowerment Rosie the Riveter.