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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.
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MORE NEW CONTENT - Updated 10/29/2007
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The Isabella Quarter 1892-1893
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