Years: 1796 to Present
Background
The American Women Quarters™ Program is the current U.S. 25-cent coin program, spanning 2022 to 2025. The obverse (heads) shows a right-facing portrait of George Washington. The reverse (tails) features five designs each year honoring American women and their contributions.
The first quarter made by the U.S. Mint in 1796 was silver. The designs from 1796 to 1930 showed Liberty on the obverse and an eagle on the reverse.
From 1916 to 1930, the Mint produced the “Standing Liberty” quarter designed by Hermon A. MacNeil. The early 20th century brought some of our country’s most iconic coin designs, including this quarter. The obverse featured the figure of Liberty stepping through the opening in a wall. She held a shield in one hand and an olive branch in the other. The reverse depicted an eagle in flight.
In 1932, an image of George Washington designed by John Flanagan replaced Liberty on the obverse of the quarter. The design change honored Washington’s 200th birthday. From 1932 to 1998, the reverse featured an eagle with wings spread, standing on a bundle of arrows with olive branches beneath it. In 1965, the Mint removed silver from the quarter and the composition became copper-nickel clad.
In 1975 and 1976, the Mint celebrated the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence with a temporary reverse design. The “Bicentennial” quarter shows a colonial drummer and a victory torch circled by 13 stars, representing the 13 original colonies. It is impossible to tell a quarter minted in 1975 from one in 1976, as all are inscribed with “1776-1976”.
From 1999 to 2008, the reverse design changed five times a year through the 50 State Quarters Program. It was the Mint’s first circulating coin program. More quarter programs followed:
Other Circulating Coins:
Penny | Nickel | Dime | Half Dollar
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Characteristics
Obverse (heads): Shows a right-facing portrait of George Washington, originally sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser for the 1932 quarter.
Reverse (tails): Depicts different American women through the American Women Quarters™ Program.
Obverse Inscriptions
- LIBERTY
- IN GOD WE TRUST
- Year
Reverse Inscriptions
- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- E PLURIBUS UNUM
- QUARTER DOLLAR
- Honoree's name
Mint and Mint Mark
Specifications
| Composition | Weight | Diameter | Thickness | Edge | No. of Reeds |
|---|
Cupro-Nickel 8.33% Ni Balance Cu | 5.670 g | 0.955 in. 24.26 mm | 1.75 mm | Reeded | 119
|
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