Commems Collection Modern: What If? 2021-31 Women's History And Nineteenth Amendment Centennial

Collectors of modern United States ("US") coinage are likely familiar with the 2022-2025 Prominent Women's Quarter Program of 20 quarters that honored five women, and their accomplishments, per year over the program's four-year run. Such prominent women as Maya Angelou, Dr. Sally Ride, Bessie Coleman, Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Vera Rubin were among those honored.

The program was authorized as part of the "Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020". The Act also included provisions for US Semiquincentennial circulating coins and redesigned quarters and half dollars for Youth Sports.

But a very different quarters program was initially proposed to honor American women.

In March 2018, during the Second Session of the 115th Congress, Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the "Women's History and Nineteenth Amendment Centennial Quarter Dollar Coin Program Act". The bill proposed to amend title 31, United States Code in order to authorize quarter dollars commemorating the Nineteenth Amendment to be issued.

The proposed program was to celebrate a series of prominent American women, and their accomplishments and contributions, one from each State, US Territory and Washington, DC. The program was to issue five quarters per year until all States, etc. were recognized. It was to be an 11-year follow-up program to the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.

Note: The bill defined 'Territory' as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The bill included a "Findings" section:

"Congress finds the following:

"(1) The tireless and passionate efforts of the suffragists, their supporters, and other stakeholders contributed to the movement to grant and protect the right of all women to vote.

"(2) On August 26, 1920, after a long campaign by suffragists across the country, the United States Constitution was amended with the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.

"(3) On June 24, 1924, all Native Americans were granted citizenship, and by extension the right to vote.

"(4) In 1948, the legal victories of Native American veterans granted protections for the right of all Native men and women to vote.

"(5) On June 27, 1952, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 was enacted, granting citizenship to all individuals of Asian descent, and by extension, the right to vote.

"(6) Enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on August 6, 1965, granted Black women protections to overcome the legal barriers that prevented many from exercising their right to vote even though all Blacks had been granted citizenship in 1868 with ratification of the 14th Amendment.

"(7) On August 6, 1975, the amendments to the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 removed language barriers to mitigate discrimination against Hispanic, Asian, and Native American voters.

"(8) It was not until March 29, 1961, when the 23rd Amendment passed that women in Washington, DC, were allowed to vote in all elections.

"(9) Women's history and the movement for women's rights that the suffragists began extends beyond ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.

"(10) August 26, 2020, marks the centennial of the day that women were granted the right to vote in America."

The first redesigned Women's quarter was to be issued beginning April 1, 2021, with subsequent quarters to be released in Alphabetical order - Alabama was to kick things off.
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The reverse of each quarter was to depict a single, prominent American Woman (i.e., no groups) and celebrate her "contributions "to the lives of individuals of the applicable State, the District of Columbia, or territory." Her name and residency (i.e., State, Washington DC or Territory) were also to be inscribed.

The Chief Executive (typically the Governor) of each State, Territory and the District of Columbia was to provide a recommended design, but the Secretary of the Treasury had the final selection authority. The Commission of Fine Arts was to be consulted regarding the potential designs and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee was to review the selections.

With women's groups and organizations within each State, Territory and Washington, DC were also to be consulted as part of the design selection process.

The bill included language that sought to prevent the use of current pop culture favorites:

"Because it is important that the Nation's coinage and currency bear dignified designs of which the citizens of the United States can be proud, the Secretary [of the Treasury] shall not select any frivolous or inappropriate design for any coin minted..."

It also included provisions that prohibited the:

"(i) a head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead;

"(ii) a portrait of a living person; or

"(iii) a depiction of an individual in a size such that the coin could be considered to be a '2-headed' coin."

Uncirculated and Proof versions of each quarter were authorized, as was the issue of a 90% Silver version of each.

The bill also authorized the striking of "hockey pucks" - 0.999 Fine Silver versions with a diameter of 3.0 inches and a weight of 5.0 ounces. These pieces were to use the designs found on the quarters and include the 'Quarter Dollar' denomination inscription.

Once the quarter for the last State, Territory, or Washington, DC was honored, the obverse of the quarter was to revert to "to the same design containing an image of President Washington in effect for the quarter dollar before the institution of the 50-State quarter dollar program." The quarter's reverse was to feature "an image of General Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton."

Note: The bill did not specifically reference an obverse design for the Prominent Women Quarters. Presumably, the program would continue the use of the modified George Washington portrait used for the America the Beautiful Quarters program.

Upon its introduction, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. A closely-related bill was introduced in the Senate by Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) in August 2019, during the First Session of the 116th Congress. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Neither bill progressed past its Committee referral.

The issued 4-year, 20-coin Prominent Women's Quarter Program (refernced above) was authorized instead of either proposed 11-year, 56-coin Women's History and Nineteenth Amendment Centennial program. The shorter Prominent Women's program allowed for the 2026 US Semiquincentennial Quarter program and the upcoming Youth Sports program.

Note: The Women's History Quarters bill was essentially incorporated into the "Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020" mentioned above.


For more of my stories about commemorative coins and medals, including other What If? stories, see: Commems Collection.