The new 2024 Celia Cruz quarter will be available directly from the United States Mint today at noon EDT. This coin, offered in rolls and bags, marks the 14th in the Mint’s American Women Quarters™ Program.
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Product options include circulation-quality quarters struck at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco Mints. These quarters are available in two-roll sets, three-roll sets, and 100-coin bags. Despite being of circulation quality, the coins have never actually been released into circulation.
Celia Cruz, born on October 21, 1925, in Cuba, was one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. She gained popularity during the 1950s as a singer of guarachas, earning the nickname "La Guarachera de Cuba." Following the revolution, she left Cuba for Mexico in 1960 and eventually became an American citizen.
Her continued contributions to Latin music over the following decades earned her the title "Queen of Salsa." She sold over 10 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. Cruz passed away at the age of 77 on July 16, 2003, after suffering from breast cancer and brain cancer.
Celia Cruz Quarter Designs
The reverse (tails side) of each new quarter depicts Celia Cruz flashing her dazzling smile while performing in a rumba style dress. Her signature catchphrase ¡AZÚCAR! appears to the right. Additional inscriptions on the design include: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, 25₵, and CELIA CRUZ. The design is the work of U.S. Mint Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill.
All coins in the American Women Quarters series bear the same obverse (heads side) portrait of George Washington, originally created by Laura Gardin Fraser to mark Washington’s 200th birthday in 1932. Obverse inscriptions read: LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and 2024.
Quarter Specifications
| Denomination: | Quarter |
| Finish: | Uncirculated |
| Composition: | 8.33% nickel, balance copper |
| Weight: | 5.670 grams |
| Diameter: | 0.955 inch (24.26 mm) |
| Edge: | Reeded |
| Mint and Mint Mark: | Philadelphia – P Denver – D San Francisco – S |
| Privy Mark: | None |
Quarter Products, Prices, Limits, and Ordering
This Celia Cruz quarter release includes the following product options:
- Two-Roll Sets containing 40 quarters produced at the Philadelphia Mint and 40 quarters produced at the Denver Mint for $40.
- Three-Roll Sets containing 40 quarters from the Philadelphia Mint, 40 from the Denver Mint, and 40 from the San Francisco Mint for $60.
- 100-Coin Bags where buyers have the choice of 100 coins from either the Philadelphia or Denver Mint for $45.
Product limits are set at 7,000 for the Two-Roll Sets, 16,625 for the Three-Roll Sets, and 8,250 for each of the 100-Coin Bags. Additionally, initial household order limits are three for any of the rolls and ten for the bags.
American Women Quarter products may be ordered directly from the U.S. Mint’s online catalog.
Of note, Cruz quarters were released into circulation on Monday, August 5, through the Federal Reserve Bank System. However, these include only the Philadelphia and Denver Mint quarters, as the San Francisco strikes are produced solely for numismatic purposes.
American Women Quarters Program
Public Law 116-330 created the American Women Quarters series, which debuted in 2022. Under the program, a total of twenty new coins will be issued over four years to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of women in the United States.
2024 quarters honor the following individuals:
- Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray – poet, writer, activist, lawyer, and Episcopal priest
- Patsy Takemoto Mink – first woman of color to serve in Congress
- Dr. Mary Edwards Walker – Civil War era surgeon, women’s rights and dress reform advocate
- Celia Cruz – Cuban-American singer, cultural icon, and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century
- Zitkala-Ša – writer, composer, educator, and political activist
American Women Quarters also appear in U.S. Mint clad proof sets, silver proof sets, holiday ornaments, and uncirculated sets, in addition to these rolls and bags.
2025 quarters will mark the end of the series and will recognize Ida B. Wells, Juliette Gordon Low, Dr. Vera Rubin, Stacey Park Milbern, and Althea Gibson.
I wonder who will be the first male depicted on the American Women Quarters™ Program.
George Washington, on the obverse of all the quarters. 😀
I wish he was. Getting tired of the circus tokens.
VA Bob,
Circus tokens or works of art? As we can’t say enough, “Each to his own”.
Not to mention, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”
That would be your hero Caitlyn Jenner
Not my hero.
VA Bob,
Once you open the box, there’s no stopping the Crackerjack surprise.
lol
VA Bob,
Thank you.
Don’t we humans need to laugh to make it through the day? 🙂
I don’t recognize any of the women on the 2025 AWQs. May be a good time to stop purchasing these coins from the Mint. I have no plans to purchase any of the future commemorative coins beyond 2026. Silver is trying me with their price increases. Maybe if mintages drop due to the price increases, I may continue purchasing them but a smaller amount.
since silver has dropped below $27 / ounce, I wonder how long before the mint will lower its price on the silver dollars and silver mint sets, since that is how it is suppose to work
I think the mint made a big mistake by pushing ‘entertainers’ and such as being ‘people’ to remember, and who have contributed ‘so’ much to our society.
That’s how it works for gold, Pt, and Pd. That is NOT how it works for silver. I only recall one downward price adjustment for silver products way back after the meltdown from $50/ oz.
You should expect NO decrease and possibly increases as inflation eats its way into every nook and cranny of the country.
DaveSWFL,
Amen, brother, amen.
Tom,
Since the Mint doesn’t maintain a price grid for silver the way it does for the other much more expensive precious metals there is no silver product price reduction when the spot price of that metal drops. Mint silver only goes up.
so, lets say silver stays at $27 / ounce
when the reverse proof silver dollars are released late this year will they also be at the higher price? (Thus anyone buying them is paying even more per ounce of silver)
Tom,
It would be a real shock to see the Mint ever reduce the price of even a single one of its silver products, barring the extremely unlikely possibility that the spot price of silver collapsed entirely.
Antonio,
I dropped out of the Mint’s commemorative game a few years ago; just no bang for that buck as far as I can tell. Regarding silver, I no longer buy ASE’s and go only with clad annual coin sets now so that for a small fraction of what I would have to pay for the silver versions I get perfectly fine additions to my modest collection.
I forgot to specify, Antonio, that by annual coin sets I meant the Proof editions!
Antonio,
I think that’s probably a big part of the rationale behind creating these AWQ coins, to introduce us to important American women that history texts haven’t told us about.
The late vocalist Celia Cruz was and still is an iconic presence throughout the entire realm of music for her inimitable style and sincerity. She was a successful artist and an evolved person who touched the lives of many millions around the world. We’re ordering a bag just to put them in circulation, a delightful surprise for anyone familiar with her music.
ALL, Well, I just received a letter from my CC Company today regarding the $4890.00 Gold coin I purchased off EBay from a person that was an unauthorized user doing fraudulent transactions on Ebay. Back Story: I purchased a gold coin off eBay for $4890.00. A few days later I received an alert/message from EBay telling me not to have any communications with that Seller and if that Seller purchased anything from me, do NOT ship it out to them. It went on to explain someone had basically hacked into an Ebayer account and was doing fraudulent transactions on EBay.… Read more »
Honestly, I’d rather buy from the Mint or a live dealer than online. Now that the bots are under control and sales are down, I can generally get anything I want from the Mint (if I’m willing to pay for it). I still have PTSD from my eBay purchase of the 2019 American Eagle Silver Enhanced Reverse Proof Dollar.
REB,
Are you sure that’s PTSD or medical grade Coin Shock? No numismatist is immune.
Thanks for the update AKBob!
There’s more of those Buckster Coins out there. Patience. I would not hesitate to buy that ’21 HR coin from the next guy, or any other expensive coin on eBay. But that’s just me. Between eBay, PP, and CC you’re covered for fraud protection. Those coins are also over at the other auction houses as well.
A reputable coin dealer is all I buy from. I avoid eBay like the plague. I just don’t trust it.
I hear you for sure Antonio. Out of a thousand eBay transactions the only few problems I’ve ever had is with buyers being knuckleheads. Not one issue with a seller(knock on wood)… My coin dealers listed in order of frequency. All 5 are reputable coin dealers(to me).. 1st) Great Collections. A highly reputable coin dealer(certified only). 2nd) eBay. A highly reputable coin dealer(certified only). 3rd) The US Mint. A highly reputable coin dealer(raw only). 4th) Stack’s Bowers. A highly reputable coin dealer(certified numi & certified spot/raw bullion). 5th) A national coin show. A highly reputable coin dealer.(certified only)..One visit so… Read more »
Rock Star Coin Rick!
I dig the DCAM on these SMS coins and thank you E 1!
Rick,
The Kennedy Half is gorgeous! Kudos on that purchase!
Thanks Kaiser!
I’m going to try to get all 3 of the ’65-67 SMS Kennedy coins in DCAM(a goal)..1 down, two to go! They’re so shiny for a (technically)non-proof coin.
You’re welcome, Rick.
Besides, proof or not proof, isn’t it the look that matters?
Antonio,
Perhaps I’ve been burned more when it comes to dealing with coins. In my personal experience coin shops have been like walking into a viper’s den.
Antonio,
Incidentally, from what I’ve seen jewelers can also be of that ilk.
Rick, I too will continue purchasing off ebay! I’ve used eBay to buy and sell, with well over 1100 transactions on eBay and I’ve had one bad experience. At least I didn’t lose any money, with protection from EBay, PayPal & your CC Company, there’s no way I’m going to stop. eBay has been easy to use and it’s been very good to me. There’s all kinds of scammers out there, I’ve caught a couple over the years as I try to scrutinize internet purchases, this last experience I knew NOT to purchase the coin, my gut told me not… Read more »
I’m glad it all worked out AK(the b/s part), except no coin–yet! Maybe later.
That coin will do that to you–it draws you in. It’s a bummer that it’s so expensive for the graded one, and the OGP coins are expensive too! Sometimes it’s tough to trust what you see online. The better the photos, the better the odds of a trouble free coin. Patience is the word of the day!
Rick,
Patience for sure, but perhaps a healthy touch of caution also.
AKBob,
No shame on you whatsoever, my friend. There likely isn’t a person alive who hasn’t fallen victim to one kind of shifty business or another, and I mean that in both the business and personal sense. We all get fooled sooner or later, some of us even repeatedly and for extended periods of time – trust me, I know all too well whereof I speak – but that doesn’t make us either dimwitted or foolish, just too darn trusting.
Kaiser, I couldn’t agree with you more and thank you for your very kind words!!
AKBob,
You’re very welcome indeed!
AKBob,
Congratulations on being able to get this problem resolved in your favor. Bravo!
Someone who bought this box at a yardsale for $6, returned them. Anyone estimate how much they’re worth? I see five silver half dollars and at least three Peace dollars.
At least $110 (using the CoinNews US Silver Coin Melt Calculator).
Kennedy Halves(5) $2.50 * $9.72 = $48.60 Washington Quarters(2) $.50 * $4.86 = $9.72 Peace Dollars(3) $3.00 * $20.78 = $62.34 Assuming the 2 Quarters are 1964 or earlier, the 5 Kennedy Halves are 1964 and using a coin melt value calculator, I see $120.66 in silver melt value. I also noticed a Susan B.(bottom left). So at a minimum $121.66, is what I’m seeing. The 2 Quarters are on top of 2 more silver colored coins, in addition to an even smaller one(Jefferson Nickel?) at the bottom of the tin, below the 5 Kennedy”s, to the left, however those… Read more »
No where near the approx. $200 value estimated in the article. That was a nice gesture the person did but didn’t return to the original owners a treasure. Often people who don’t know coins grossly overestimate their value. I’ve had to correct people to their disappointment. Just because it’s old, doesn’t mean it’s rare or very valuable. A silver dime is worth more than a dime but it isn’t worth a fortune because it’s silver. 😉
Antonio,
Aside from all other considerations, that’s a nice find at a yard sale.
That’s true, but they returned it and don’t seem to have asked for their $6 back.
Antonio,
There are honest people, and some even have an extra touch of heart.