American Women quarters facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
American Women quarter

United States
Value	25 cents (0.25 US dollars)
Mass	5.67 g (standard) 6.34 g (silver proof) g
Diameter	24.26 mm (0.955 in)
Thickness	1.75 mm (0.069 in)
Edge	119 reeds
Composition	91.67% Cu 8.33% Ni (standard) 99.9% Ag (silver proof)
Years of minting	2022–2025
Obverse
Design	George Washington
Designer	Laura Gardin Fraser
Design date	1931
Reverse
Design	Various; up to five designs per year (inaugural design shown)
Designer	Various

The American Women quarters program is a special series of quarters from the United States Mint. These coins celebrate important women in U.S. history. The program started in 2022 and will continue until 2025.

Each year, five new designs are released. This means there will be 20 different designs in total. Each coin features a different woman on its back side (called the reverse). These women are chosen for their amazing contributions to the United States. Their achievements cover many areas, like voting rights, civil rights, science, and the arts. The front side of the coin (the obverse) shows a new picture of George Washington. Many of the women honored in this series are from different ethnic minority groups.

This program was created by a law passed in 2020. It replaced earlier ideas for new quarters, like ones featuring animals. The American Women quarters program follows the America the Beautiful quarters series. Besides regular coins, special silver proof sets are also made for collectors.

Coin Designs

The American Women quarters have two main parts: the front (obverse) and the back (reverse).

The Front (Obverse)

The front of these quarters features a portrait of George Washington. This specific design was created by Laura Gardin Fraser in 1931. It was chosen by special committees to appear on these new quarters. This same design was also used on a special half eagle coin in 1999.

The Back (Reverse)

The women featured on the back of the quarters are chosen carefully. The United States Secretary of the Treasury makes the final decision. They get advice from groups like the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History Initiative. The public also had a chance to suggest women to be honored.

2022 Quarter Designs

The first five women honored in 2022 were:

• Maya Angelou: She was the first Black woman to be featured on U.S. currency. The design shows her with outstretched arms, symbolizing her passionate life. A bird in flight represents her famous autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
• Sally Ride: She was the first American woman in space. Her coin shows her looking out of the Space Shuttle window, just as she often did. The design includes a patch from her historic STS-7 mission.
• Wilma Mankiller: She was the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Her coin shows her wearing a shawl, with the Cherokee Nation star and language. She fought for civil rights and self-sufficiency for her people.
• Adelina Otero-Warren: She was the first Hispanic American woman on U.S. currency. Her coin features her with Yucca flowers and a Spanish phrase meaning "Vote for Women."
• Anna May Wong: She was the first Asian American woman on U.S. currency. Her coin shows her surrounded by marquee lights, representing her career as a famous actress.

2023 Quarter Designs

The women honored in 2023 were:

• Bessie Coleman: She was a brave pilot. Her coin shows her in a flying helmet, looking towards a biplane in the clouds. The date 6.15.1921 is on the coin, marking when she got her international pilot's license.
• Jovita Idar: She was a Mexican-American journalist and activist. Her coin shows her standing, with her body made up of words representing her writings and achievements.
• Edith Kanakaʻole: She was a famous native Hawaiian cultural leader. Her coin shows her with her hair and lei blending into a Hawaiian landscape. The words "E hō mai ka ʻike" mean "granting the wisdom."
• Eleanor Roosevelt: She was a former First Lady and a champion of human rights. Her coin shows her standing by the scales of justice, with a globe and the words "Universal Declaration of Human Rights".
• Maria Tallchief: She was a groundbreaking ballerina. Her coin shows her in a ballet pose. Her Osage name, which means "Two Standards," is also written on the coin.

2024 Quarter Designs

The women honored in 2024 were:

• Pauli Murray: She was a lawyer, activist, and priest. Her coin shows her portrait inside the word "HOPE." It also includes a quote from her poem, "A song in a weary throat."
• Patsy Takemoto Mink: She was the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. Her coin honors her work on Title IX, a law that helps ensure equal opportunity in education.
• Mary Edwards Walker: She was a Civil War surgeon and women's rights advocate. Her coin shows her wearing her Medal of Honor. She is the only woman to have received this award.
• Celia Cruz: She was a famous Cuban-American singer. Her coin shows her performing with a microphone. Her famous catchphrase, "¡AZÚCAR!" (meaning "SUGAR!"), is also on the coin.
• Zitkala-Ša: She was a writer, musician, and activist for Native American rights. Her coin shows her in traditional Yankton Sioux dress, holding a book. A sun and a red cardinal symbolize her work and name.

2025 Quarter Designs

The women honored in 2025 are:

• Ida B. Wells: She was an investigative journalist, a leader for voting rights, an educator, and a civil rights leader. Her coin lists her main roles: "Journalist," "Suffragist," and "Civil Rights Activist."
• Juliette Gordon Low: She founded the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. Her coin shows her next to the original Girl Scout symbol, which she designed.
• Vera Rubin: She was an astronomer who made important discoveries about dark matter. Her coin shows her profile with a background representing dark matter.
• Stacey Milbern: She was a visionary activist for disability justice. Her coin shows her in a wheelchair, with the words "Disability Justice" below her name.
• Althea Gibson: She was a pioneering athlete. She was the first Black athlete to break barriers in tennis and professional golf. Her coin shows her holding a tennis racket, with the words "Trailblazing Champion."

List of Designs

Year	No.	Woman	Design	Elements depicted	Artist(s)		Release date	Mintage
					Sculptor (Medallic Artist)	Designer (Artistic Infusion Program)		Denver	Philadelphia	San Francisco	Total
2022	1	Angelou, MayaMaya Angelou		Angelou with her arms outstretched, in front of a flying bird and sunrise.	Craig Campbell	Emily Damstra	January 3, 2022	258,200,000	237,600,000	303,520	496,103,520
	2	Sally Ride, Dr.Dr. Sally Ride		Ride next to a Space Shuttle window, with Earth in the background.	Phebe Hemphill	Elana Hagler	March 22, 2022	278,000,000	275,200,000	304,120	553,504,120
	3	Mankiller, WilmaWilma Mankiller		Mankiller wearing a shawl, by a seven-pointed Cherokee Nation star and ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ("Cherokee Nation" in Cherokee syllabary).		Benjamin Sowards	June 6, 2022	296,800,000	310,000,000	304,640	607,104,640
	4	Otero-Warren, NinaNina Otero-Warren		Otero-Warren with three Yucca flowers and the Spanish inscription Voto para la mujer (Vote for Women).	Craig Campbell	Chris Costello	August 15, 2022	219,200,000	225,000,000	305,560	444,505,560
	5	Wong, Anna MayAnna May Wong		Wong surrounded by marquee lights.	John P. McGraw	Emily Damstra	October 25, 2022	240,800,000	226,800,000	303,680	467,903,680
2023	6	Coleman, BessieBessie Coleman		Coleman in leather flying helmet looking into the clouds toward a flying biplane. The inscription "6.15.1921" is the date she received her international pilot's license.	Eric David Custer	Chris Costello	January 3, 2023	317,200,000	302,000,000	500,360	619,700,360
	7	Edith Kanakaʻole		Kanakaʻole, with her hair and lei poʻo (head lei) blending into a Hawaiian landscape. The inscription "E hō mai ka ʻike" translates to "granting the wisdom" and refers to the role of hula and chants in cultural preservation. This design features the denomination shown as "25¢" instead of "Quarter Dollar" used on all other previous designs.	Renata Gordon	Emily Damstra	March 27, 2023	368,600,000	372,800,000	503,400	741,903,400
	8	Eleanor Roosevelt		Roosevelt stands by the scales of justice in front of a representation of the globe, above the inscription "Universal Declaration of Human Rights".	Craig Campbell	Don Everhart	June 5, 2023	271,800,000	284,000,000	507,120	556,307,120
	9	Jovita Idar		Idar standing with her hands clasped. Her body is made up of inscriptions representing her accomplishments and the newspapers for which she wrote.	John P. McGraw		August 14, 2023	184,800,000	190,600,000	503,920	375,903,920
	10	Maria Tallchief		Maria Tallchief spotlit in balletic pose. Her Osage name, 𐓏𐓘𐓸𐓮𐓟-𐓍𐓪͘𐓬𐓘, which translates to "Two Standards", is written in the Osage script.	Joseph Menna	Benjamin Sowards	October 23, 2023	184,800,000	185,800,000	502,560	371,102,560
2024	11	Dr. Pauli Murray		Portrait of Rev. Dr. Murray inside the word "HOPE," with the quotation "A song in a weary throat," from her poem "Dark Testament."	Joseph Menna	Emily Damstra	February 1, 2024	185,500,000	168,400,000	498,680	354,398,680
	12	Patsy Mink		Mink standing outside the Capitol holding a copy of Title IX and wearing a lei, with legend "Equal Opportunity in Education"	John P. McGraw	Beth Zaiken	March 25, 2024	187,200,000	210,200,000	465,920	397,865,920
	13	Dr. Mary Edwards Walker		Dr. Walker wearing her Medal of Honor.	Phebe Hemphill		June 3, 2024	159,400,000	141,200,000	441,400	301,041,400
	14	Celia Cruz		Cruz performing with a microphone, with her catchphrase “¡AZÚCAR!” ("SUGAR!")	Phebe Hemphill		August 12, 2024	156,200,000	149,600,000	542,480	306,342,480
	15	Zitkala-Ša		Zitkala-Ša in traditional Yankton Sioux dress and holding a book. A stylized sun represents her Sun Dance Opera, while a red cardinal symbolizes her name, which means “Red Bird.” A Yankton Sioux-inspired diamond pattern sits underneath the sun.	Renata Gordon	Don Everhart	October 21, 2024	170,200,000	152,600,000	419,520	323,219,520
2025	16	Ida B. Wells		On the bottom, Ida B. Wells' most notable occupations ("Journalist", "Suffragist", and "Civil Rights Activist") are listed.	Phebe Hemphill	Elana Hagier	February 4, 2025	99,500,000	106,350,000	391,280	206,241,280
	17	Juliette Gordon Low		Juliette Gordon Low next to the original Girl Scout trefoil, which she designed and patented.	Eric David Custor	Tom Hipschen	March 24, 2025	86,200,000	82,200,000	413,800	168,813,800
	18	Dr. Vera Rubin		Profile of Dr. Vera Rubin with dark matter background.	John P. McGraw	Christina Hess	June 3, 2025	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
	19	Stacey Milbern		Stacey Milbern in a wheel chair; below her name is the legend "Disability Justice".	Craig A. Campbell	Elena Hagler	August 12, 2025	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
	20	Althea Gibson		Althea Gibson holding a tennis racket and surrounded by the legend "Trailblazing Champion".	Renata Gordon	Don Everhart	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

See also

In Spanish: American Women quarters para niños

• United States cent mintage figures
• United States nickel mintage figures
• United States quarter mintage figures
• United States half dollar mintage figures
• American Silver Eagle mintage figures