Columbian Exposition quarter dollar
Encyclopedia
The Columbian Exposition quarter commemorative coin
, commonly referred to as the Isabella quarter, was minted as a result of a petition made by Board of Lady Managers of the Columbian Exposition for a souvenir quarter. It honors Queen Isabella of Spain
who sponsored Columbus'
travels that ended in the colonization of America
. The Board of Lady Managers was formed at the urging of Susan B. Anthony
to coordinate and oversee the women's activities and exhibits at Chicago
's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
.
The coin was designed by Charles E. Barber
. The obverse
depicts the crowned bust of Isabella of Spain. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is lettered around the perimeter with the 1893 date to the right of the portrait and conforming to the curve of AMERICA. Symbolizing women's industry, the reverse
shows a kneeling woman with a distaff
in her left hand and a spindle
in her right hand. BOARD OF LADY MANAGERS is lettered around the upper perimeter with COLUMBIAN QUAR. DOL. around the lower perimeter. Only a small quantity of these coins were sold at the Exposition at $1 per coin. This was the first commemorative quarter issued by the United States
and was the only coin to depict a woman on both sides until the 2009 Sacagawea dollar.
.
Minting started on June 13, 1893, six weeks after the opening of the Exposition. There were 40,000 quarters minted but they did not sell well at the Exposition. Ultimately the unsold quarters were returned to the Mint for melting, leaving 24,191 coins.
There is disagreement among experts on the amount of proof
strikes. Estimates range from 40 to 100. The 400th, 1,492nd and 1,892nd coins were double struck proofs documented by the Mint which were presented to the Board of Lady Managers. These were in recognition of the 400th anniversary of the discovering of America, the year America was discovered, and the year of the anniversary. Some early business strikes exhibit prooflike qualities, however there must be evidence of multiple strikes to be authenticated as a legitimate proof strike.
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
, commonly referred to as the Isabella quarter, was minted as a result of a petition made by Board of Lady Managers of the Columbian Exposition for a souvenir quarter. It honors Queen Isabella of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
who sponsored Columbus'
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
travels that ended in the colonization of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Board of Lady Managers was formed at the urging of Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
to coordinate and oversee the women's activities and exhibits at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
.
The coin was designed by Charles E. Barber
Charles E. Barber
Charles Edward Barber was the sixth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1879 until his death in 1917. He succeeded his father, William Barber, in the position...
. The obverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
depicts the crowned bust of Isabella of Spain. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is lettered around the perimeter with the 1893 date to the right of the portrait and conforming to the curve of AMERICA. Symbolizing women's industry, the reverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
shows a kneeling woman with a distaff
Distaff
As a noun, a distaff is a tool used in spinning. It is designed to hold the unspun fibers, keeping them untangled and thus easing the spinning process. It is most commonly used to hold flax, and sometimes wool, but can be used for any type of fiber. Fiber is wrapped around the distaff, and tied in...
in her left hand and a spindle
Spindle (textiles)
A spindle is a wooden spike used for spinning wool, flax, hemp, cotton, and other fibres into thread. It is commonly weighted at either the bottom middle or top, most commonly by a circular or spherical object called a whorl, and may also have a hook, groove or notch, though spindles without...
in her right hand. BOARD OF LADY MANAGERS is lettered around the upper perimeter with COLUMBIAN QUAR. DOL. around the lower perimeter. Only a small quantity of these coins were sold at the Exposition at $1 per coin. This was the first commemorative quarter issued by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was the only coin to depict a woman on both sides until the 2009 Sacagawea dollar.
Mints
The Isabella quarter was minted exclusively at the Philadelphia MintPhiladelphia Mint
The Philadelphia Mint was created from the need to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States. This led the Founding Fathers of the United States to make an establishment of a continental national mint a main priority after the ratification of the Constitution of...
.
Minting started on June 13, 1893, six weeks after the opening of the Exposition. There were 40,000 quarters minted but they did not sell well at the Exposition. Ultimately the unsold quarters were returned to the Mint for melting, leaving 24,191 coins.
There is disagreement among experts on the amount of proof
Proof coinage
Proof coinage means special early samples of a coin issue, historically made for checking the dies and for archival purposes, but nowadays often struck in greater numbers specially for coin collectors . Many countries now issue them....
strikes. Estimates range from 40 to 100. The 400th, 1,492nd and 1,892nd coins were double struck proofs documented by the Mint which were presented to the Board of Lady Managers. These were in recognition of the 400th anniversary of the discovering of America, the year America was discovered, and the year of the anniversary. Some early business strikes exhibit prooflike qualities, however there must be evidence of multiple strikes to be authenticated as a legitimate proof strike.
| Date | Mint Mark | Mint | Mintage |
| 1893 | None | Philadelphia | 24,124 |
See also
- Columbian Exposition half dollarColumbian Exposition half dollarThe Columbian Exposition half dollar is a commemorative coin minted to raise funds for the World's Columbian Exposition held in 1893, and to commemorate the quadricentennial of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas- Obverse :...
- The half dollarHalf dollar (United States coin)Half dollar coins have been produced nearly every year since the inception of the United States Mint in 1794. Sometimes referred to as the fifty-cent piece, the only U.S. coin that has been minted more consistently is the cent.-Circulation:...
commemorative also minted for the exposition. - Early United States commemorative coinsEarly United States commemorative coinsThe Early United States commemorative coins traditionally begins with the 1892 Colombian Half dollar and extends through the 1954 Booker T. Washington issue. The profits from the sale of commemorative coins was often used to fund a specific project...