The United States Mint has released high-resolution images of the 2023 American Women Quarter Program coins. The first of any 2023 coin from the Mint, the images feature the five different Reverse designs on the Quarter Dollar next year.
Authorized by Public Law 116-330—the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020—the American Women Quarters Program features coins with reverse (tails) designs emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of prominent American women. Contributions come from a broad spectrum of fields including, but not limited to, suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts. The women honored come from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds. As required by public law, no living person will be featured in the coin designs; thus, all the women honored must be deceased. The Mint is issuing five coins with different reverse designs annually over the four years from 2022 through 2025. You can learn more about the program on the Mint’s site.
For 2023 American Women Quarter Program releases, here are the five influential women that will be honored:
- Bessie Coleman – pilot, advocate, and pioneer who flew to great heights as the first African American and first Native American woman pilot, as well as the first African American to earn an international pilot’s license.
- Jovita Idár – Mexican American journalist, activist, teacher, and suffragist. She devoted her life to fighting against separatist ideologies and sought to create a better future for Mexican Americans.
- Edith Kanakaʻole – indigenous Hawaiian composer, chanter, dancer, teacher, and entertainer. Her moʻolelo, or stories, served to rescue aspects of Hawaiian history, customs, and traditions that were disappearing due to the cultural bigotry of the time.
- Eleanor Roosevelt – first lady, author, reformer, and leader. As chairperson of the Human Rights Commission where she oversaw the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and as the first chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, she advocated diligently for the civil liberties and needs of the poor, minorities, and the disadvantaged.
- Maria Tallchief – America’s first prima ballerina, she broke barriers as a Native American ballerina who exhibited strength and resilience both on and off the stage.
2023 Bessie Coleman American Woman Quarter Reverse (Image Courtesy of The United States Mint) 
2023 Edith Kanaka’ole American Woman Quarter Reverse (Image Courtesy of The United States Mint) 
2023 Eleanor Roosevelt American Woman Quarter Reverse (Image Courtesy of The United States Mint) 
2023 Jovita Idar American Woman Quarter Reverse (Image Courtesy of The United States Mint) 
2023 Maria Tallchief American Woman Quarter Reverse (Image Courtesy of The United States Mint)
The common obverse design of all coins in the American Women Quarters Program is by Laura Gardin Fraser, one of the most prolific female sculptors of the early 20th century, whose works span the art and numismatic worlds. Fraser’s design depicts a portrait of George Washington, which she originally composed and sculpted as a candidate to mark George Washington’s 200th birthday. Though recommended for the 1932 quarter, then-Treasury Secretary Mellon ultimately selected the familiar John Flannigan design. Inscriptions are “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “2023.”