Throughout its history, the U.S. Mint has created various special edition coins for collectors and regular circulation. In 2024, the tradition continues with the release of the American Women Quarters collection.
Now in its third year of a four-year cycle, the American Women Quarters collection honors American women who have made significant contributions to women’s rights, arts, politics, and science. Let’s look at the women who will be forever memorialized via this intriguing and fascinating addition to U.S. currency.
Zitkala-Sa
Born on a Sioux Indian reservation in 1876, Zitkala-Sa was one of the most influential figures in Native American rights. As a translator, writer, editor, and educator, she rose to prominence by bringing Native American stories and struggles to English-speaking people and composing the first Sioux opera.
Zitkala-Sa is depicted holding a book on the reverse of this quarter to symbolize her literary works. The sun in the background is a nod to her opera — “The Sun Dance” — while a cardinal, the anglicized version of her name, flies in the sun’s rays.
Celia Cruz
One of the most popular Latin-American singers of all time, Celia Cruz became the “Queen of Salsa” in her homeland of Cuba in the 1950s. In the 1970s, she continued her career in Mexico and eventually the United States, endearing herself to millions of fans across the U.S. and Latin America.
To commemorate her achievements, this American Women Quarter features Cruz in a traditional salsa dress while holding a microphone with her catchphrase “Azucar!” written on the right side.
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was known as a Civil War surgeon and a women’s rights advocate. At the outbreak of the Civil War, she became the first surgeon in the U.S. Army and was later arrested as a spy by the Confederacy. Following the war, she became a key figure in the women’s dress reform and the women’s suffrage.
Edwards Walker’s quarter shows her carrying a small medical surgery bag and wearing the Congressional Medal of Honor — a medal she would wear daily for the rest of her life.
Patsy Takemoto Sink
In 1964, Patsy Takemoto Sink became the first woman of color elected to Congress. Representing Hawaii, Takemoto Sink fought for support for low-income families, environmental protection, and gender rights — eventually becoming the namesake of the famous Title IX document.
The reverse side of this quarter depicts Takemoto Sink holding her Title IX legislation with the south wing of the U.S. Capitol Building in the background.
Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray
Born in Baltimore in 1910 but raised in North Carolina, Murray was an African-American whose tireless dedication to women’s rights and civil rights never went unnoticed. She became the first woman to earn a J.D. from Yale University, and the first Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest.
To honor Murray, this quarter features Dr. Murray’s face within the word “HOPE” and the phrase “Song in a Weary Throat” — her idea of what hope is as written in her poem “Dark Testament.”
Looking Forward to 2025
2025 is the final year for the American Women Quarters collection, featuring Ida B. Wells, Juliette Gordon Low, Dr. Vera Rubin, Stacey Park Milbern, and Althea Gibson. With these five women, the release of these quarters finally comes to a close, but the contributions of American women will always continue. It may just be change in your pocket, but the contributions will remain throughout history — a fitting conclusion to the impactful lives of these women.
At London Coin Galleries of Newport Beach we buy and sell coins on a daily basis. Whether you collect these coins or any other, we have access to a wide range of coins to choose from. We also buy entire collections of coins if you decide to sell. Contact us to book an appointment at our Coin gallery in Orange County CA.
