# The first American Women quarters are out **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 16, 2023, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653 "2023-10-16T16:03:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/1 "2023-10-16T16:03:13Z")
A co-worker showed me the Bessie Colman one. Looks pretty cool! > **[Bessie Coleman Quarter | American Women Quarters | U.S. Mint](https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/american-women-quarters/bessie-coleman)** > > The 2023 Bessie Coleman Quarter is the sixth coin in the American Women Quarters™ Program. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/2 "2023-10-16T17:42:59Z")
Considering that it’s been one “commemorative series” after another going back 25 years now to the 50 States one, does anyone even pay attention to these anymore? I haven’t actually looked at a quarter design in years. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/3 "2023-10-16T18:02:50Z")
Same here. I ended up taking all my state quarter rolls to the bank, busting them open and dumping them in the coin counting machine. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/4 "2023-10-16T18:14:58Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > does anyone even pay attention to these anymore? Anecdote =/= data, but my wife does. She started collecting the state quarters, progressed into the National Park series, and I’m sure she’ll want to collect these, too. That said, I do suspect that the audience who actually pays attention anymore is pretty narrow; at this point, it’s probably limited largely to coin collectors, older people, and kids (FWIW, my wife is 60). It likely doesn’t help that many people are now largely cashless, and rarely handle cash or receive coins as change. This article indicates that 2 in 5 Americans used _no cash_ in 2022; among those under age 50, over half don’t carry cash. [https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/3799088-the-cashless-future-is-here-so-is-big-brother/](https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/3799088-the-cashless-future-is-here-so-is-big-brother/) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/5 "2023-10-16T19:32:35Z")
I know it’s low reward given the relative pittance of 25¢ but what a great deal it is for counterfeiters; there are so many designs out there I wouldn’t know if a quarter you gave me is real or one you made in your basement. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/6 "2023-10-16T19:40:54Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > That said, I do suspect that the audience who actually pays attention anymore is pretty narrow; at this point, it’s probably limited largely to coin collectors, older people, I thought you would just type “Franklin Mint aficionados” here, but I see we’re on the same page either way. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/7 "2023-10-16T20:22:28Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I know it’s low reward given the relative pittance of 25¢ but what a great deal it is for counterfeiters; there are so many designs out there I wouldn’t know if a quarter you gave me is real or one you made in your basement. I doubt counterfeiting would be that easy. I think people (at least those of us who grew up handling coins) are very attuned to the feel and the sound of American coins. If you drop a quarter, it sounds very different than dropping a nickel. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/8 "2023-10-16T20:33:59Z")
I have folders for the states (complete) and the national parks (incomplete). When I was working, people knew I collected them and used to bring me their quarters to see if I had the latest. Since I retired and covid happened, I don’t see much change anymore and I gave it up. I should just take the quarters out and use them but I can’t do it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/9 "2023-10-16T20:55:07Z")
you missed my point, let’s say I get attacked by an alien symbiote who makes me evil (now wherever would I come up with an idea like that?). Given the right equipment I bet I could produce quarters with my face on the front that would be the same size & weight as quarter made in the US Mint. It would feel the same & make the same sound when you dropped it. I bet a lot of people upon receiving one would be like, “Cool’ new quarter series” instead of “Whoa, an obvious fake” With enough variants, it’s hard for the general public to tell what is real vs what is fake. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/10 "2023-10-17T00:36:44Z")
It would be tough to counterfeit a quarter. At least at a profit. I’m not even certain the government can do this any longer. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/11 "2023-10-17T00:48:20Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Given the right equipment I bet I could produce quarters with my face on the front that would be the same size & weight as quarter made in the US Mint.- Or dollar bills. > **[Emerich Juettner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerich_Juettner)** > > Emerich Juettner (January 1876 – January 4, 1955), also known as Edward Mueller or Mister 880, was an Austrian-American immigrant known for counterfeiting United States $1 bills and eluding the United States Secret Service for a decade, from 1938 to 1948. When caught, he openly admitted his actions, adding that he had never given more than one bill to anyone, so no person had lost more than one dollar. He was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and a one-dollar fine, and he later so Emeri... ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653/12 "2023-10-17T01:45:09Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > With enough variants, it’s hard for the general public to tell what is real vs what is fake. Like many people, I don’t handle much change. Maybe a few times a year, tops. But I have in the last 2 or 3 years more than once gotten a coin that feels like a typical US coin, but looking at it was a completely new experience. There was nothing on front or back that was the same as the traditional coins of the e.g. 1990s. it seemed real enough, and definitely not foreign, so I took it in change without comment and spent it later or more likely dumped in my very slowly filling change bucket where it still sits. IMO these special issuance coins are simply the mint trying desperately to keep their volume (and budget) up on the face of crashing demand for obsolete metal tokens.