The New 2021 Washington Quarter: The First President Returns
With the end of the America the Beautiful Coin Program coming in 2021, the design of the quarter has been a topic of debate for the past year. As indicated by Public Law 110-465, also known as the America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008, the new quarter design will depict “an image of General Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton.” For fans of the State Quarter program, this scene may be familiar, as it was exhibited on the 1999 New Jersey State Quarter. The new design, however, had very specific recommendations from the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee in order to ensure that it would be unique.
CCAC was created in 2003, “to advise the Secretary of the Treasury on the themes and designs of all US coins and medals. The CCAC serves as an informed, experienced and impartial resource to the Secretary of the Treasury and represents the interests of American citizens and collectors.”
Of the seventeen proposals by artists of the U.S. Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program, Benjamin Sowards’ design was chosen to be sculpted by Michael Gaudioso. This remarkable new design portrays General George Washington with a telescope in his left hand and a sword in his right. With his sword drawn, Washington commands a boat of Continental Army soldiers across the ice-filled Delaware River during the Battle of Trenton in the Revolutionary War on the night of December 25, 1776.
This momentous occasion in history brought a new sense of confidence to the Continental Army, as the opposing Hessian soldiers were forced to surrender after being surrounded by 2,400 American soldiers. This victory came after a series of defeats in New York, making it all the more important for the morale of the American troops fighting for their freedom against Great Britain.
In addition to the new reverse, the Washington Quarter will once again bear John Flannagan’s original bust of Washington displayed on the quarter from 1932 to 1998. Starting in 1999, with the implementation of the State Quarter Program, the obverse of the Washington Quarter was changed to a rendition created by William Cousins. Now, after 22 years, the design will revert back to Flannagan’s iconic depiction of President Washington.
Beginning on April 5, 2021, these new Washington Crossing the Delaware will begin distribution by the Federal Reserve Bank, so keep your eyes open!
