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Updated January 4, 2023
Quarter and Half Dollar Coins: History and Current Status
The Secretary of the Treasury, through the U.S. Mint, is
statutorily authorized to issue specific denominations of
circulating coins (31 U.S.C. §5112). Currently, the United
States has six circulating coins-dollar, half dollar, quarter
dollar, dime, nickel, and penny. All coinage is also required
to have certain design elements, including specific words
such as Liberty, or E Pluribus Unum. Since 1930, the
Mint has redesigned the quarter dollar six times (1932,
1976, 1997, 2008, 2021, and 2022), while the half dollar
was last redesigned in 1964. The Circulating Collectable
Coin Redesign Act (P.L. 116-330) authorized future
redesigns of the quarter and half dollar between 2022 and
2030.
Quarter Dollar Designs
The first quarters were issued in 1796 and depicted Lady
Liberty on the (front) obverse and an eagle on the (back)
reverse. Since then, the quarter dollar has been redesigned
six times, with two future redesigns authorized by the
Circulating Collectable Coin Redesign Act of 2020.
Washington Quarter
In March 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a law (46
Stat. 1523) to change the design of the quarter dollar coin to
commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of the birth
of George Washington. The law required a portrait of
George Washington on the obverse and appropriate
devices on the reverse. The finished coin (as seen in
Figure 1) had a standard eagle design on the reverse.
Figure I. George Washington Quarter, 1932-1998
Source: U.S. Mint, The History of U.S. Circulating Coins, at
https://www.usmint.gov/learn/history/us-circulating-coins.
Notes: The reverse of the Washington Quarter was redesigned for
the American Bicentennial in 1976. See Figure 2.
Bicentennial Quarter
In October 1973, Congress authorized (P.L. 93-127) the
redesign of the quarter's, half dollar's, and dollar's reverse
to celebrate the bicentennial of American independence.
The law required that the coins have two dates-1776 and
1976-and should bear a design determined by the
Secretary [of the Treasury] to be emblematic of the
Bicentennial. Figure 2 shows the Bicentennial Quarter and
Half Dollar.
Figure 2. Bicentennial Quarter and Half Dollar, 1976
Source: U.S. Mint, 1976 Bicentennial Coins, at
https://www.usmint.gov/learn/kids/library/bicentennial-coins.
50 State Quarters
In December 1997, the 50 States Commemorative Coin
Program Act (P.L. 105-124) authorized changes to the
quarter dollar to honor each state. The 50 state quarters
were first issued in 1999 in the order that the states ratified
the Constitution or were admitted to the Union, starting
with Delaware. As initially enacted, the 50 state quarter
program did not include the District of Columbia or the
territories. On December 26, 2007, the quarter dollar
program was amended to include the District of Columbia
and the territories (P.L. 110-161). These quarters were
issued after the 50 states, beginning in 2009.
America the Beautiful Quarters
In 2008, Congress authorized the U.S. Mint to redesign the
reverse of the quarter to honor national parks and historic
sites in each state, territory, and the District of Columbia.
The America the Beautiful quarters were first issued in
2010. Five national parks or historic sites were featured
each year. The program ends in 2021. Quarters were issued
in the order that the national park or historic site was
created. Figure 3 shows the last America the Beautiful
quarter, the 2021 Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
(AL) quarter.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govekap0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)