The United States Mint released proposed designs for the obverse (heads side) of 2022-2025 American Women Quarters.
Authorized under Public Law 116-330, the upcoming series of quarter dollars will feature reverses (tails side) that honor women who shaped American history. There will be up to five different reverses every year over the four-year period.
As for their obverses, they will share a single design showcasing a likeness of George Washington that is distinguishable from past quarter programs. Eleven candidates are in the running.
U.S. Mint images of these candidates follow.
The Secretary of the Treasury will make the final design selection following reviews of the candidate designs by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA).
GW-01 is the design that artist Laura Gardin Fraser (wife of the “Buffalo nickel” designer James Earle Fraser) submitted for the design competition for the 1932 Washington quarter (her initials LGF appear in the above design photo). Her design was rejected by the all-male (misogynist) design jury at the time in favor of John Flanagan’s design we still use today.
Let’s give her the long-deserved credit due to her fine design!
NumisdudeTX
Agreed!
I’d wholeheartedly agree, except for the fact that they want to put a MAN on the front of a coin dedicated to especially noteworthy WOMEN! How’s about a woman, even allegorical, on BOTH sides?
Rock on comrade! And kindly get out of my brain (hardly enough room for me as it is).
Honoring the Founding Father of our Country is a worthy goal for this design. Downplaying his roll, or any individuals role, because of shallow present day value standards of gender categorization is foolish. None of these designs complement President George Washington’s contribution to American and World history.
He changed the direction of human history. Show me a coin that celebrates that, at least on the obverse of our highly used quarter.
And save the other side for Rosa Parks, Molly Pitcher, Grace Hopper, Whistler’s Mother, Oprah, Aretha, or Florence Nightingale.
One need not downplay one person to elevate another. Let’s compromise and agree to Martha Washington on the obverse. Surely George would concur that the mother of our Republic should grace this coin in such a manner and that it’s long overdue. After all, Comrade Washington limited himself to two terms, the benefit not being the 8-year limit per se, (salute FDR), but the precedent of not creating a dynastic monarchy, which he could have done easily. You know what I mean, a population that irrationally worships at the clay feet of a great man, a man as flawed as… Read more »
i vote the first first lady as well
Hear, hear, comrade! PS: Have you seen your bio-pic (“The Exception”) yet. Two pickelhaubes up! It reminds of “The Bolero”…starts soft and slow, ends big and loud.
Just in case you thought the above was one of my warped rants, there really is a movie called, “The Exception,” and KW (Christopher Plummer) is the pivotal character.
And a belated, “Welcome to the USA!”
KWA fascinating tale, indeed.
Cinephile myself. Hundreds of DVDs, VHSs and, um, Laserdiscs.
An all-time favorite: The Third Man (the “cynical” European cut). And Wien is an all-time favorite place to visit. Created my own Third Man tour the last time I was there. Great museums, coffee/pastry shops, and the Opera Metro stop always spins my head…and fills my belly. And then there are those crazy white Portuguese>Croatian>Austrian horses (don’t feel like looking up “Lipizz…”). Frequently stay at the Spanish Riding School Marriott.
And, I hear the hills are alive with the sound of music!
Sorta censored/pseudo-redacted? Why the crossouts? Pressed a wrong button? Yet another Amazon Fire TV Silk browser flaw (like no floating cursor…arrrggghh!)?
Washington was indeed pivotal, but I would credit FRANCE with changing the course of history, because without French intervention, I doubt the USA would have gotten loose from the tentacles of the evil English aristocratic class that had a stranglehold on the empire at the time.
lordy….. try ENGLISH, not German in bad translation.
Indeed. Maybe we can finally have a male figure to represent Liberty on coins as well. If the Equal Rights amendment gets incorporated into our Constitution by means of a majority of states having it in their respective constitutions, then maybe there will be true equality in coinage design legislation.
Fascinating idea, Piedfort. But as much as I support the ERA, I hope that we UnitedStatesians have open minds and that it doesn’t take a Constitutional amendment to accomplish such a modest goal. Ha! Maybe I’m thick, Piedfort, (sorry, can’t resist low-hanging puns) but it seems to me that it’s frequently difficult to discern the gender of allegorical figures from portraits (i.e., heads/profiles alone). I think recent Liberty coins are the exception and quite obviously — and strikingly (two-fer… truth AND a numismatic pun!) female. But portraits on the Morgan and Peace, along with the first, First-Nations gold “princesses” defy… Read more »
On the contrary, women have been representing liberty since the beginning of when coins were made in the United States, until about the 20th century.
Nailed it!
There’s very little actual evidence that Fraser’s design was rejected because for misogynistic reasons. Treasury Secretary Mellon’s objection were because the Bicentennial Commission had selected her design, both for the official medal and for the coin, in a competition to which the Treasury was not a party. Mellon had made Fraser the first woman in history to design a coin when he approved her Alabama Centennial design, and he had had no objection to other designs of hers, such as the Oregon Trail half.
She did the Oregon Trail design?! Wow. It’s on my Top 3 list of most beautious US coins.
She did the wagon side and James Fraser did the Native American side.
I should also add that Secretary Mellon also approved Laura Fraser’s designs for the Grant Memorial half dollar and Grant Memorial dollar. So he approves her for designs on four coins (including the first design by a woman in history) and suddenly after ten years turns misogynist? No. It was about preserving the prerogatives of the Treasury Department to choose designs for the circulating coinage.
Thanks for the learning comrade. Almost ready for Jeopardy now…just need to come up to speed on sports, Shakespeare and the Torah/Bible.
GW-14. Is kinda Scary!!! would be great with a “BAT” on the reverse!!!!
Bat Woman I presume? Although, I had a huge crush on Barbara Gordon (Batgirl Yvonne Craig) from the 60s show.
Batgirl would be ok with me but not on that scary obverse!!!! yikes!!!!
May Catwoman Eartha Kitt RIP – “meoooooow!” As a great actress & even better singer, she could be considered for this series of American Women quarters.
NumisdudeTX
Amen brother! Great African-American women need more representation on our coinage for sure.
NumisdudeTX
…and Hedy Lamarr. Watch the PBS documentary…she ivented all sorts of technology to help win WWII, a genuine genius and very talented performer. I’d like to see Shirley Chisom, the notorious RGB, Sandra Day O’Connor, Abigail Adams, Rosalind Franklin, Clara Barton, Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan, Rachel Carson, Grace Hopper, Althea Gibson, Babe Didrikson, Katherine Johnson…and my mom.
Will there be a “S” mint mark released? Now that I am thinking about it it may not be a good idea as it may take away from the ATB “S” series…
Booooo can the mint do anything right lately? First they choose a bad design for the new ase, then they mess up the peace dollar reverse die using the dies for the 22-35 but still have it in high relief, and then they have some lame designs for the new quarters.
Please, please use the Laura Gardin Fraser design. It was originally chosen for the 1932 Washington half dollar by the Fine Arts Commission, whose decision was overruled by then-Secretary of the Treasiry Andrew Mellon in favor of John Flanagan proposal. Congress later directed that the new design should be used on the quarter, instead. The second proposal looks like the reverse of the Deleware state quarter. The third one looks like the Washington dollar coin. Fraser’s design was and is still th best.
It wasn’t the Fine Arts Commission. It was the George Washington Bicentennial Commission.
Love the all new Quarter designs. The GW02 is my first pick.
I am excited that Laura Gardin Fraser’s 1932 design is in consideration. Some have mentioned that coins honoring women should have a woman on the obverse as well as the reverse, but the law authorizing the American Women Quarter program requires a likeness of GW on the obvers, so that ship has unfortunately sailed. Since it has to be GW, it would be poetic for GW-01 to be chosen, as it was designed by a woman and overruled by a sexist man. I also like GW-03, but as another has already pointed out, it looks almost identical to the Washington… Read more »
Laws can be changed. We’re in charge.
True that true, I agree, although I had to look up a couple of words before I knew for sure. Deceased monarch shames professional writer/commoner!
I would like to see a change from the typical right profile Washington to a new design. Washington on a horse is a great idea. Coins are like works of art. Even the master St. Gaudens knew that when he created the double eagle. We have seen Washington’s profile for decades. Time for a new look
Why can’t they just leave the money alone?
With all respect to the symbolism of putting Fraser’s design on the quarter, I’d prefer something not based on the tired old Houdon bust of Washington. I’d agree with KW’s original comment on candidate #3, Washington looks like a real person. I’d be against the horseback ones that devote more space to the horse than to Washington. We’re not honoring the horse.
BREAKING NEWS… CFA & CCAC both approve L.G. Fraser’s 1931 GW portrait for new 25¢ obverse. Huzzah! If it couldn’t be a woman up front, then this is a good thing. Now ladies, if you’d kindly return to dancing backwards whilst wearing high heels and getting paid less for working the same or harder jobs as us man cavers. Move along, nothing to see here folks.
Add some blue color, a pair of bugeyes and we’ll have the first in the new series of Avatar coins, .999 unobtanium and in 3D, with free cardboard viewing glasses. John Cameron-signed slabs available soon.
These are ALL so awful!! How about some nice animals on the obverse you can’t go wrong with them!
PC bull infecting the coinage. Thankful I no longer collect coins, or spend them anymore in this more cashless society. PC em all. Woman (Lady Liberty) have been on coins since the late 1700s, nothing new or exciting here, just pandering as usual these days.
I sent my congressman a letter asking that during this 2022-2025 quarter series that in addition to using women, we also use the Laura Gardin Fraser eagle. In 2009 we had six quarters. I think we can have five quarters honoring women and a sixth with Laura’s eagle every year. After all, we’ve been waiting for this complete design since 1932. And coin collectors are the one expected to buy all of these quarters. But, I can’t do it alone. If you too would like to see Laura’s eagle included in this series please contact your member of congress.
Love the opportunity to collect the American women quarters. Where will I be able to get the cardboard collection folder?
I collected the complete National Parks quarters series, but somehow missed the 2011 Montana Glacier Park quarter. Do I have to buy it from a coin store now?
Soldiers who have died in battle should be the reverse remember them
I love all the designs of George Washington wouldn’t mind having a coin with each one of those designs on it I think they’d be pretty nice
Yeah!
I got 2 of the 2022 quarters today I with Sally Ride on it the other is of maya Angalou. Thsy are really beautiful. Mint mark on the is D if anyone was wondering.
I had no idea they were doing this. I guess I’ve been under a rock somewhere. I hope they provide so way of housing these coins for collection as they did when they came up with the state map to put the quarters into. It will be a grand gift for my grand and great-grand children as was the map of quarters to my eldest grandson.