The United States Mint is launching unique ornaments today, featuring the five different 2024 quarters. Available for purchase starting at Noon ET, each is priced at $35.
At the heart of each colorful ornament is one of the five 2024-dated designs from the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters™ Program, struck in uncirculated quality at the Philadelphia Mint. These quarters honor the significant contributions of women to the history of the United States.
The 2024 quarters, as well as these ornaments, honor:
- Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray – poet, writer, activist, lawyer, and Episcopal priest
- Patsy Takemoto Mink – the 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
The ornaments are crafted from solid brass with a rhodium finish, featuring vibrant design elements surrounding each coin that highlight the accomplishments of the celebrated individual. Examples include books and a typewriter on the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray ornament, and a medical bag alongside the Medal of Honor on the Dr. Mary Edwards Walker ornament.
Quarters honoring American women debuted in 2022, with the program featuring five new releases annually through 2025. Next year’s quarters will celebrate Ida B. Wells, Juliette Gordon Low, Dr. Vera Rubin, Stacey Park Milbern, and Althea Gibson.
Ordering
American Women Quarters Ornaments, including releases from previous years, can be found on the U.S. Mint’s online store dedicated to quarter products.
Each ornament comes in a Mint presentation case, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. The package also includes brief information about the ornament’s design elements and a short description of the honoree.
Merry Christmas Everybody!
In August? Is Santa wearing shorts on the beach?
LOL
maybe Santa works for the Bradford Exchange?
He used to work for the open year round Christmas Tree Shops but they folded. His new job is to use his sleigh for the seasonal hurricane watch.
i’m not sure why, but these things always looked to me like something you’d see on one of those home shopping tv channels (and I don’t mean the coin-specific ones, but the ones where they sell all sorts of household stuff)
c_q,
This year’s ornaments have more than enough assorted bits of visual rigamarole on them to drive one to distraction. I think a switch to minimalism would be great next year.
E1, in response to Ricks inquiry, a couple threads back, said: “1) The slabs with the Black PCGS Shield came from the “Pride of Two Nations” Set. Why they made them black, I don’t know. They are both “First Strike” coins though.” That collection of 72 ASE’s, still remaining in your collection, are very impressive E1 and thanks for sharing! I did some digging and I’m wondering about those “Black Shield” labeled coins you own as well. By chance, do those “Black Shield” coins also say “First Day of Issue”, in addition to “First Strike”(Top), on the front of the holder… Read more »
For PCGS FDOI guidance clarification, see PCGS, First Day of Issue(FDOI) notes by going down to the middle of the below linked page to see requirements and disregard(?) that this is for “First Day of Issue Presidential Dollar” series of coins. In theory, this applies to all PCGS FDOI coins? See also, “WAYNEAS” comment and last Link link he provided on Jan 5, 2021, reply to “goldenboy101” (Jan 5, 2021) replying to “JonJet”(Jan 4, 2021). From Collectors Universe message board thread, titled: “PCGS “First Strike” vs “First Day of Issue” The below excerpt and link is the same as the… Read more »
(Follow up) Another quandary arose within the Collectors Universe Message Board comment thread, titled; “PCGS “First Strike” vs “First Day of Issue”, in regards to “top pop”(1 of 1) labels, being given preference or ranking, above an actual grade of a coin. Interesting exchange and topic for any that may be curious or wonder about TPG, grades, slabs, labels and Registry Sets IMO. Additionally the member(s) whose “Registry Set” had been demoted, contacted PCGS about the discrepancy and PCGS made corrections to those parties registry set rankings. To this day, there continues to be questions raised regarding the coin vs… Read more »
Cali,
Thank you for your detailed response.
Enjoy the photo.
Cheers
E 1,
Excellent photography of exceptional coins. Good job all around!
Thanks Kaiser,
Not bad for an iPhone.
You’re welcome, E 1, and not bad for any picture taking device.
A “red number day” for precious metal prices. Not to be confused with a “red letter day”!
indeed. red letter day would be better
So let it be written, so let it be done.
Rick commented RE ASEs: “PS: “70” grades.. That’s the problem in recent years. Yes, minting technology has progressed and there’s great quality going out the door(highly arguable point), but it’s the TPG market share wars that’s been driving gradeflation.” I was looking at NGC and PCGS registries for Lincoln cents and noticed the dearth of MS70. Nothing for Shield cents, except for the 2019-W. And nothing for Memorial cents in NGC. PCGS has some for 1986-D, 2005 SMS (12) and 2006 SMS (4). Unless I’m missing something, in addition to no MS70, NGC has no MS69 either. What’s up with… Read more »
Proof coins are double struck at higher pressures than circulating coins. Also, planchets for proofs get a lot more attention. I would imagine the dies are more closely inspected as well.
Interesting though there are a ton of MS70 bullion ASEs.
Call me naive, but I still don’t get the rationale for grading and slabbing bullion.
DaveSWFL,
I believe Proofs also get more human gloved hand treatment as opposed to robot manipulation.
Major D,
“So perhaps more care goes into making proof coins in general (vs. uncirculated) and ASE proofs specifically?”
I would hazard to say that’s a big bingo, Sir!
I’m not too surprised that there are few or no 70 grades with circulation quality coins(business strikes). These are the same coins that are in the uncirculated mint sets and rolls and they are clinked and clanked around much more than any other coins by far before being placed in those very sets and rolls that the Mint sells. ASE bullion is treated much better than these coins. And as Dave pointed out proofs get the extra special treatment obviously. How many Morgan and Peace dollars(business strikes)from the 1800s do you see in 70 grades? Even the uncirculated coins in… Read more »
Rick, curious to know if the ASE bullions are considered business strikes? Same for the Morgan and Peace uncirculated? As for the Lincoln 1c (aside from the 2019 W) it looks like your best chance at a Hail Mary for a 70 is with PCGS among the Special Mint Sets (the satin finish uncirculated sets from 2005 to 2010). With NGC there looks to be zero chance.
Major D and Rick, From what I’ve been able to gather over the years, gentlemen, there seems to be a bit of confusion concerning the inadvertent conflation of the terms “Uncirculated” and “Business Strike”. I’ve been given to believe that a “Business Strike” coin is one that is produced for general circulation while an “Uncirculated” coin is in fact a more meticulously struck coin meant for a purpose such as inclusion in the Uncirculated Coin Set that the US Mint releases annually. The generic term “uncirculated”, on the other hand, when employed to describe a coin that has not yet… Read more »
Kaiser, thanks for drawing the distinction. However, do we really know that there is in fact a difference with regards to the strike? I’d like to believe that the coins that I have in the Mint uncirculated sets are better than the ones in the uncirculated bank rolls, but who knows?
I understand your point Major D, and let’s say that regardless of what I may have read (or perhaps thought I read, as being of a certain age I can no longer claim to be absolutely sure even to my own satisfaction about anything and/or everything I see, hear, or read, however one wants to put it) about the coins meant for Sets to be more meticulously crafted, at the very least they are put into those Sets individually without having first been piled into a roll and thus scratched against each other.
Yes and yes and no… Let’s start of with the notion that an MS coin is a regular strike and/or a business strike, because those descriptions are interchangeable in the marketplace. MS bullion ASE coins are regular/business strike coins(MS70). PR bullion ASE coins are proof strike coins(PR70). UNC bullion ASE coins are a special strike coin(SP70). Same with the MS reproduction Morgan & Peace Dollars(2021-2024), they’re considered business strikes also. The RP coins are proof strike coins. The circulation quality coins that are in those annual uncirculated Mint sets, bags, and rolls are MS/regular/business strike coins. No special treatment and… Read more »
Rick,
I have no cause or reason to doubt any of this and I thank you very much for taking the time and the effort to lay this all out so very clearly and completely. Now of course, with the entirety of this rather huge chunk of information having to not only be fully absorbed but thoroughly processed as well via the applicable channels, I have to say my head feels as though it’s spinning since these details are doubtless resulting in more than an average strain on the brain.
Another “Rick Super Coin!” Cartwheel City I’m sure. Another eye popper. Time to buy a nice storage case with an engraved brass plaque. At the rate you’re going, maybe a couple of cases.
Cheers
Not a bad photo for an Android phone lol and thanks. We like cartwheels and classics!..
Yes I believe you’re correct, a storage case or two looks to be in order! Your ASE cases sent me over the edge, I’m still enjoying those..
That 1888 $1 has a little story since taking that photo, a newer thread I’ll update…
Kaiser,
There seems to be effort being applied to keep the silver spot under $30.
Silver is manipulated much more than gold – probably due to its industrial use. Just as with cheap stocks, cheap PMs are easier to manipulate the prices. A tip of the hat to the derivatives markets, too!
DaveSWFL,
I think you’re absolutely right, and this didn’t just start but has been going on for years.
At a distance these ornaments almost look like police/fire badges!
DaveSWFL,
Just the facts, Ma’am, just the facts.
We’re giddy….NOT
Buy a couple of coins from Niue and call me in the morning.
Thanks for the photo E1! I p/u 4 of those sets, 2 US and 2 from Canada, giving 1 of each to my brother. I like the Silver Maple Leaf in this set a lot, Just about 3,000 more than a typical SML, so the coin by itself, mintage wise, is kind of a high mintage issue. I have not been tracking secondary market performance, however for a while, the Canadian packaged version had been slightly more sought after than the US version of these Pride of 2 Nations sets. I’m thinking that prices for either version has cooled, however… Read more »
CaliSkier,
I got two of these Sets from the US Mint but missed out on the RCM version.
You win some and you lose some and some get rained out or develop milk spots.
I’m really surprised that the Po2N sets are not more sought after given the low mintage W ERP ASE and special finish Maple Leaf. I picked up some OGP sets from JM Bullion in 2022 at $133 each thinking that was a good deal, only to find/buy another in 2023 on eBay for $126. There are no blemishes on any of the coins and the packaging all looks new from the Mint. The original Mint list price was $139.95 when released on July 3, 2019 so to be able to buy for less than that 3-4 years later was a… Read more »
Major D,
Regardless of what the secondary market price happens to be for the Pride of Two Nations Sets the coins contained therein are phenomenal examples of US Mint and RCM workmanship. Clearly, what an item may be selling for does not always tell the whole story of what it is worth on a numismatic appeal basis.
Hmmm… E1, with your Pride of 2 Nations photo of the Canadian Maple Leaf coin, bearing PCGS PF70 FS/FDOI, “Black Shield” label, I stumbled upon an anomaly? I found 3 examples on eBay and your label is not quite like the others I found, which are all similar to each other, yet yours is different IMO. So now I’m wondering a bit more about the labels, the printers and printing at PCGS? Anyhow, here is what I noticed. 1 of 2 things is true about your label for the SML as compared to the other 3 I found. On your… Read more »
CaliSkier, “Now if we compare the $5 alignment, in the eBay examples, when we make a vertical/perpendicular line at the tail edge/end of the “5”, this more or less aligns with the end line edge created by the “I” in “STRIKE” above.” “Your label shows or appears to show that if we make a vertical/perpendicular line at the tail edge/end of the “5”, this more or less aligns with the leading edge line created by the “I” in “STRIKE” above.” My question regarding the above statements is this: Are the two instances described in the comparison supposed to be identical… Read more »
Kaiser Wilhelm, the 3 examples on eBay were more or less identical in a relative sense, which is why I compared them to E1’s example, which varies slightly and is different, alignment wise. My initial assessment led me to ask, if others noticed, variations amongst their slabbed collections and this were to be expected?
CaliSkier,
Many thanks for the further explanation; much appreciated. I myself am in no way familiar enough with a lot of this technical terminology to be able to even begin to comprehend what the apparent dissimilarities in question were.
Kaiser,
“end line edge” vs “leading edge line” seems to be two different descriptions for this major error lol. E1 you might have a ‘money’ coin/label!
What would be nice Kaiser or Cali, since one or both of you have observed this on eBay, is to at least give us a courtesy link to a specific page to see just what all the fuss is about. Thanks!
Rick, I wanted a picture, however I’m unable to copy pics off eBay. I’ve also typically avoided posting EBay links,
As they appear abnormally long IMO. However her is a link to the first one I saw earlier today which also had the cleanest picture. I did get a little amused, in that the pages I listed before are no longer accurate as some product listings have either gone away or been added, but I did find the one that brought attention to, and that if initially compared to E1’s example. Have fun!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335348375668?_nkw=2019+pride+of+two+nations+silver&itmmeta=01J60GZGJJ35J7ZBPXJHW6DP35&hash=item4e14522074:g:5wcAAOSw-kxmHBq~&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAABAHoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKnuC%2FcmfGHhbipdPyQh7v1W%2B8lO2TVfx0cv26BhgZBETINidpnvjBOI4g5ztCshNUr09O%2BA5QYHPYld7F6H6cr5Ycnz%2FSJjaQiLl7–9qjSqD8fqhH0klB2QhFvrIHNUtQUy5JlGs20SXshljIzin6RunCEdurB%2Fdxbp4GvJ%2BXObedjtE7UhYeJ%2FmLT5AK9uuxANG4JAFTloLrlsXh%2FyrVetSFxcvqqL5YuhJoZzWO8ejDGYBhQcD8BBGmm%2F9eqAC3taBCvVtrPQY1OCtwn4nmPy7zNh43rCtv63CX49pI9vrFXpTmoxVISKqYhajUD1is%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6qJ_pCwZA
CaliSkier,
Just as a slight detour from the actual subject at hand, but I just have to make mention of the above being the longest link I’ve ever encountered in all my time spent on the internet. Impressive indeed!
Dump everything after the “?” next time.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335348375668
The rest is tracking, search, and account info.
Thanks for sharing that tip/info, regarding links associated with the “Bay” E1. Good to know and much appreciated!
Rick,
“E1 you might have a ‘money’ coin/label!”
Copy that. Thanks pointing out that Black Shield.
Cheers
E 1,
Indeed, it appears we might have one of those cases of Sherlock “Numis” Holmes declaring that “The coin game’s afoot, Watson!”
Rick,
Sorry, I can’t take any of the credit for having observed any part of this; we have to chalk this one up to CaliSkier’s eagle eyes!
Cali, Having worked in mass manufacturing around the Pacific Rim for several decades, I can assure you that no two parts are made the same. The printed label is considered a part. Minor variances and minor anomalies are to be expected in the fabrication of all parts. . The Po2Ns PCGS holders in question did verify successfully at PCGS.com today and the holographic labels affixed to those holders are identical to the others on eBay. The holders themselves do not exhibit any signs of counterfeiting or tampering. I have been submitting coins to PCGS since the early 1990s and I… Read more »
E1, thanks for relaying your mass manufacturing experience around the globe! Initially, I did have a glimpse of, “I wonder” regarding whether there might be some fishy business happening, but felt that the holders themselves were identical and just the label, “struck” me as “off slightly”. As I’d pondered a bit more, I concluded that these coins would be tough to counterfeit and not worth the time, trouble money, or risk to attempt to “knock off”. So I’d concluded the same, in that the coin and holder were indeed legit, as you’ve also concluded, based on your knowledge and vast… Read more »
CaliSkier and E 1,
I hate being the Mary Poppins character who declares “The party is over” and makes everyone fall down off the ceiling, but it does feel like we had this promising mystery developing and now that the puzzle has been solved (at least as far as I can tell) we’re all simply earthbound again. Shucks.
Wow, as noted, the US Mint shipping department does not appear to have any hold ups or delays. My AWQ coin boards arrived today! Although thankful, since E1 highlighted inconsistencies in manufacturing, I’ll just say I’m still a little surprised by how consistently, inconsistent the US Mints vendors/manufacturing is??? The 2022 coin boards say at the top “2022-2025” and the 2023 and 2024 have just “2023” and “2024” at the top? Also, the other thing that struck me as odd, was, when stacked together and viewing from the side, the color of white or essentially, the cardboard or color is… Read more »