American Women Quarters (2022–2025)

Honoring Pioneering American Women

The American Women Quarters Program, authorized by the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, continued the tradition of rotating quarter designs by honoring women who have shaped American history. Running from 2022 through 2025, the program releases five new quarter designs each year, each featuring a different woman who made significant contributions to the United States in areas including civil rights, science, arts, suffrage, and more.

The obverse features a new portrait of George Washington by sculptor Laura Gardin Fraser — a design originally created in 1931 that was rejected by Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon in favor of John Flanagan's design. Its selection for the American Women Quarters program, 90 years after it was first proposed, represents a long-overdue recognition of Fraser's artistic vision and is itself a tribute to a pioneering American woman artist.

The Honorees (2022–2025)

2022 Releases

Maya Angelou: Poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. The first coin in the series, featuring Angelou with open arms, a bird in flight, and a rising sun.
Dr. Sally Ride: First American woman in space. Shown next to a window with a view of Earth, reflecting her NASA career.
Wilma Mankiller: First woman elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Depicts Mankiller with the wind in her hair and Cherokee syllabary.
Nina Otero-Warren: Suffragist and education reformer from New Mexico. Shown against New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Anna May Wong: First Chinese American Hollywood movie star. The first Asian American featured on US circulating currency.

2023 Releases

Bessie Coleman: First African American and first Native American woman to hold a pilot's license
Edith Kanakaʻole: Hawaiian composer, chanter, and hula master who preserved native Hawaiian culture
Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady, diplomat, and human rights champion
Jovita Idar: Texas journalist and civil rights activist for Mexican Americans
Maria Tallchief: America's first major prima ballerina, of Osage Nation heritage

2024 and 2025 Releases

The program continued with honorees including Patsy Takemoto Mink (first woman of color in Congress), Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (only woman to receive the Medal of Honor), Celia Cruz (Queen of Salsa), Zitkala-Ša (Native American activist and author), and others. The final 2025 releases complete the 20-coin series.

Collecting American Women Quarters

The American Women Quarters are available in multiple formats:

Circulation strikes: P and D mint marks, found in everyday change or purchased in rolls
Proof strikes: Included in annual Proof Sets and Quarters Proof Sets from San Francisco (S mint mark)
Silver Proof strikes: 99.9% silver versions in the annual Silver Proof Set
Rolls and bags: Available directly from the US Mint for collectors who want uncirculated examples

With only 20 total designs (5 per year × 4 years), the American Women Quarters series is a compact, completeable set. A circulation set of 20 coins costs just $5 in face value. Proof and silver proof sets add premium finishes at modest additional cost.

Historical Significance

The American Women Quarters program is notable for several firsts in US coinage:

Anna May Wong became the first Asian American on US circulating currency
Laura Gardin Fraser's Washington portrait finally appeared on a quarter, 90 years after her original design was passed over
The program represents the most diverse group of individuals ever depicted on US circulating coins
Several designs were created by the Mint's Artistic Infusion Program artists, bringing fresh perspectives to coin design

As the program concludes in 2025, collectors have a limited window to build complete sets at face value from circulation. After the program ends and a new quarter series begins, the American Women Quarters will transition to the secondary market where complete sets will carry modest premiums — as has happened with State Quarters and ATB quarters before them.

The 2026 Transition

With the American Women Quarters concluding in 2025, the US Mint transitions to the 2026 Semiquincentennial designs — new artwork on quarters (and all other circulating denominations) celebrating America's 250th anniversary. This transition creates a natural breakpoint for collectors: the AWQ set ends definitively, making it a self-contained collecting goal.

Find American Women Quarters at coin shows in rolls, proof sets, and individual coins. Many dealers carry the silver proof versions, which combine the beautiful designs with precious metal content. For educators and parents introducing children to coin collecting, the AWQ series provides an excellent opportunity to teach both numismatics and women's history simultaneously.