Since March is officially Women's History Month, let's find out about the women who have graced our coins. The 1792 Coinage Act officially established the building of the United States Mint in Philadelphia and the regulation of our coins. Denominations were set from the Half Cent all the way up to our then largest denomination, the $10 Gold Eagle. Not only did the Mint Act establish what coins would be made but also what they would have to have on them. I'm sure we're all familiar with the mottos "In God We Trust" and "E Pluribus Unum". One other requirement was that coins for circulation must include an "Impression emblematic of Liberty". Of course, we all know her today as Lady Liberty. However, Lady Liberty is an emblem. Yes, there were often models for Lady Liberty but Lady Liberty herself is not a real woman. So, who was the first actual woman to make it onto circulating coins?

Before we find out who and when, I'll give you a hint. Some collectors know this but the first actual person on a circulating coin was none other than Abraham Lincoln when he graced the 1909 Lincoln cent. So, we know it took almost 120 years to even have a real person on our coins! Without further adieu, it would be 70 years more before the first actual woman would appear. Susan B. Anthony, the famous women's suffragist was the first... but she wouldn't be the last.

The Susan B. Anthony dollars ran from 1979 to 1981 and once again in 1999. It wasn't long before our second woman was chosen for a totally new coin. It would be Sacagawea on the new "Golden Dollars" coming in the year 2000. She was famous for helping Lewis and Clark on their well known expedition. In 2003, our next famous woman was placed on the Alabama Quarter. It was Helen Keller. This coin is very popular for how well known Helen Keller is but also it featured her name written in braille. The first time the Mint has ever used braille on a coin. Helen Adams Keller was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer even though she lost her sight and hearing after a bout of illness at the age of nineteen months.

Until 2022 this short list only included these three great woman. However, there are more on the way! The Mint started a new series running through 2025 - The American Women Quarters Series. We will see more great women memorialized on our coins than ever before! The women in the series are:

2022

• Maya Angelou – celebrated writer, performer, and social activist
• Dr. Sally Ride – physicist, astronaut, educator, and first American woman in space
• Wilma Mankiller – first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation
• Nina Otero-Warren – a leader in New Mexico’s suffrage movement and the first female superintendent of Santa Fe public schools
• Anna May Wong – first Chinese American film star in Hollywood

2023

• Bessie Coleman – pilot, advocate, and pioneer who flew to great heights as the First African American and first Native American woman pilot, and first African American to earn an international pilot’s license
• Edith Kanakaʻole – indigenous Hawaiian composer, chanter, kumu hula, custodian of native culture, traditions, and natural land
• Eleanor Roosevelt – first lady, author, civil liberties and human rights advocate, Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, instrumental in the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Jovita Idar – Mexican-American journalist, activist, teacher, community organizer, champion of bi-lingual education, and suffragist
• Maria Tallchief – America’s first major prima ballerina who broke barriers as a Native American ballerina

2024

• Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray – was a poet, writer, activist, lawyer, and Episcopal priest. Murray is regarded as one of the most important social justice advocates of the twentieth century.
• Honorable Patsy Takemoto Mink – As a Member of Congress, she fought for gender and racial equality, affordable childcare, and bilingual education. Mink was the champion of Title IX legislation in Congress, prohibiting sex discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Title IX was posthumously renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.
• Dr. Mary Edwards Walker – was a Civil War era surgeon, and women’s rights and dress reform advocate. Walker relentlessly pursued her desire to serve as a surgeon during the Civil War and in 1863 she became the first woman U.S. Army surgeon as a "Contract Acting Assistant Surgeon (civilian)." To date, Walker is the only woman to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
• Celia Cruz – was a Cuban-American singer, cultural icon, and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Known as the “Queen of Salsa,” Cruz’s numerous honors and awards include three American and four Latin Grammy awards, the Presidential Medal of Arts, and countless lifetime achievement awards.
• Zitkala-Ša – also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, was a writer, composer, educator, and political activist for Native American rights and citizenship in the early 20th century. Zitkala-Ša was staunchly opposed to the annihilation of indigenous culture through assimilation after she was forced to give up her own Native American customs and traditions in exchange for education. Additionally, her advocacy work directly led to the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which granted American Indians US Citizenship while still maintaining their tribal standing and citizenship.

This is sure to be an amazing and popular series and another nod to all of the great women to be depicted and placed on our coinage. Happy collecting!