Photos used with permission and courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries

Like the 1892-1893 Columbian Half Dollar, the Isabella Quarter was produced to help raise funds for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The lobbying party for this Quarter was the Exposition’s Board of Lady Managers, and the design was executed by Charles E. Barber. A rendition of Isabella of Castilla, Queen of Spain and the patron of Christopher Columbus, dominates the obverse. The reverse depicts a fictitious woman kneeling with a distaff and spindle–a symbol of woman’s industry. Survivors of the 24,214 business strikes distributed are difficult to locate in grades above the MS64 level of preservation, and are rarely offered finer than MS66.

The Isabella quarter was minted exclusively at the Philadelphia Mint.

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.

Background information the Isabella Quarter is presented from an excellent article written by Frank F. Hanisco for BellaOnline, below:

“By 1890, Susan B. Anthony was lecturing throughout the country on behalf of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. At the same time, Bertha Honoré Palmer, the wife of Potter Palmer of the Palmer House in Chicago, was focusing her attentions on improving the education and economic status of women, and was backing the ideological principle of equal pay for equal work. Susan B. Anthony saw the World’s Columbian Exposition as a stage upon which women could have an active voice in the administration and presentation of exhibits dealing with women’s interests. She enthusiastically petitioned both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate for a ‘Board of Lady Managers’ to oversee women’s activities at the fair. Congress approved funding for a Women’s Building and related expenses, and Bertha Honoré Palmer was appointed as president of the ‘Board of Lady Managers.’

Since construction for the fair was behind schedule, and the exposition’s opening was postponed until 1893, Mrs. Palmer used this opportunity to travel abroad to generate interest in the fair, and her international connections proved to be extremely successful. Not only did she secure a place at the fair to build the Women’s Building, designed by a woman architect, which was to house works by and about women, but she also managed to persuade some of Europe’s royal women to lend display materials, and she secured space in each state building to include exhibits of female interest.

Bertha Honoré Palmer then turned her attention to Congress’ Appropriations Committee. Following the lead of the souvenir Columbian Exposition commemorative half-dollar, to be produced to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America, Mrs. Potter lobbied and procured funding in the form of 40,000 commemorative quarters. In keeping with the female theme, she insisted on a female effigy on the coin, and what could be more fitting then Columbus’ benefactor, Queen Isabella of Spain.

In March 1893, the Mint Director Edward O. Leech informed the ‘Board of Lady Managers,’ that they needed to forward the likeness of Queen Isabella to be used on the commemorative quarter. In this way, it would save both time and money in production. Having some idea of the politics within government, it has been reported that Susan B. Anthony advised Mrs. Palmer to ignore the Mint Director’s request and to pursue the commemorative quarter through normal channels. Bertha Palmer wanted to keep with an all female input into the design, and selected a New York artist, and student of the famed sculptor, Augustus St.Gaudens, by the name of Caroline Peddle to create the design. This action greatly offended the Chief Engraver, Charles Barber, and all chances for approval of Peddle’s design was quashed. Charles Barber chose artist Kenyon Cox, who had painted several murals and illustrations at the exposition, to prepare sketches from which Barber personally created models and dies for the new quarter.”

The Isabella Quarters were sold as souvenirs for $1.00 each at the Women’s Building on the fair grounds. An estimated 27.5 million visitors attended the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, however only a small quantity of the quarters sold. 15,809 pieces were returned to the mint for melting.

Specifications:
Design: Charles E. Barber
Mintage: 24,191
Diameter: 24.3mm
Weight: 6.25gr.
Composition: .900 silver, .100 copper

Additional Resources :

Interesting Facts: The Isabella Quarter was the first U.S. coin to feature the portrait of an actual female and the first commemorative quarter. It is also the only U.S. coin to feature a woman on both sides of the coin.

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• Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 1, 1916-1917
• Capped Bust Quarter, Large Size, 1815-1828
• 1892-1893 Columbian Exposition Half Dollar
• A Little Princess The 1841 Quarter Eagle
• 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter – Bronze Cast by Hermon MacNeil
• Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2, 1917-1930
• Draped Bust Heraldic Eagle Quarter, 1804-1807
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• 1891-O Quarter – Specimen