Who Are The American Women Honored on Quarters in 2023?
The US Mint has announced the next five women to be honored on the American Women Quarter series in the year 2023. This series has brought to the forefront several American women who have had a massive impact on our culture. In the next year, the reverse of the Washington Quarter will showcase such luminaries as Bessie Coleman, Jovita Idar, Edith Kanaka’ole, Maria Tallchief, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Bessie Coleman
American aviator Bessie Coleman made a name for herself with her determination and courage. As the first African-American woman and Native American woman to hold a pilot’s license, Coleman made strides in the history of aviation. The design depicts Coleman dressed for flight and lists the date she received her pilot’s license “6.15.1921.” Her quest to become a pilot was so famous, that the first African-American bank in Chicago funded her journey to Paris to become internationally certified. Coleman made a living performing in stunt shows and tragically passed while preparing for one. Her death was mourned by tens of thousands.
Jovita Idar
Jovita Idar was a strong activist for the Mexican-American community during her lifetime as a journalist and civil rights advocate. During the time of the Mexican revolution, Idar used her voice and strength as a writer to work towards peace and meaningful change. Showcasing her numerous accomplishments, her design on the reverse of the quarter showcases a stylized list of the many newspapers she wrote for, including “EL HERALDO CRISTIANO,” “LA CRONICA,” and “EL PROGRESO.” Idar later founded a free kindergarten in Texas and volunteered as an interpreter at hospitals.
Edith Kanakaʻole
With a design by acclaimed artist Emily Damstra, the quarter honoring the great Hawaiian American Edith Kanaka’ole is truly a piece of art. She is memorialized with a beautiful portrait portraying her hair as one with the landscape. Kanaka’ole was best known as a teacher who passed down knowledge of traditional Polynesian practices and dances. The inscription on her design for the American Women quarter includes the phrase “E hō mai ka ʻike” which translates to “granting the wisdom.” In the Hilo region of Hawaii, where she taught, several buildings were named in her honor after she passed in 1979.
Maria Tallchief
Maria Tallchief was not only America’s first major prima ballerina, but she was also the first Native American to hold that high rank. Her energetic dance style is said to have popularized The Nutcracker into the Christmas classic it is today. After she retired from dancing in 1966, she served as the director of several ballet groups before founding the Chicago City Ballet. In 1996, she received a Kennedy Center Honor for her lifetime of work in ballet. This design features Tallchief midleap with her name as it is written in Osage.
Eleanor Roosevelt
As the wife of 32nd President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor’s achievements are already well known. She is credited with revolutionizing the position of First Lady, expanding the role beyond the duties of a housewife. Eleanor Roosevelt began the tradition of the First Lady taking on a cause to fight for, with hers being human rights. During her work with the UN, Eleanor Roosevelt helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This design commemorates that work with the image of a globe behind the preeminent First Lady of the United States of America.
As this series continues to grow, Rare Collectibles TV is proud to offer some of these issues in the highest quality available, as well as other stunning quarter series such as the State Quarters and America the Beautiful Quarters.
