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1893 Isabella Isabella Quarter 25c Grades Select Unc

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:305.63 - 611.25 USD
1893 Isabella Isabella Quarter 25c Grades Select Unc
1893 Isabella Isabella Quarter 25c Grades Select Unc. When Examining an Isabella Quarter on the Obverse, wear first shows in the area of the Crown’s Central Oval Jewel and on Isabella’s cheek. Reverse wear will first be noted on the Strand of Wool Resting on the Kneeling Spinner’s Thigh. Due to Die Wear, Raised or Sharp Definition of the Strand of Wool is not the norm. This area can display a Slight Weakness of Strike, which is par for the Design and should not be Labeled Wear. The 1893 Isabella Quarter holds an important place among early commemorative coins of the United States. It represents the first legal tender U.S. coin to depict an actual woman, as opposed to the allegorical Liberty. Additionally, it was the first to depict a foreign monarch and the first and only commemorative quarter dollar.The coins were created at the suggestion of the Board of Lady Managers for the World’s Columbian Exposition. At the time, the Columbian Half Dollar had already been authorized, produced, and was still being sold to the public as a souvenir coin for the exposition. The authorized production for the quarters was a relatively low 40,000 pieces with identical specifications to circulating quarters.The obverse design of the Isabella Quarter features a left facing portrait of Queen Isabella of Spain who had sponsored Columbus’s voyages to the New World. The reverse design represents women’s industry with a depiction of a female holding a distaff and spindle. The designs for the coin were prepared by Charles E. Barber based on sketches from Kenyon Cox.The 1893 Isabella Quarters were sold for $1 each in the Women’s Building. Compared to the Columbian Half Dollars, which were also sold for $1, the quarter dollars presented a worse value. Correspondingly, sales were much lower with a portion of the mintage returned to the Mint for melting. The final mintage for the coins after subtracting those melted was a low 24,214.When Examining an Isabella Quarter on the Obverse, wear first shows in the area of the Crown’s Central Oval Jewel and on Isabella’s cheek. Reverse wear will first be noted on the Strand of Wool Resting on the Kneeling Spinner’s Thigh. Due to Die Wear, Raised or Sharp Definition of the Strand of Wool is not the norm. This area can display a Slight Weakness of Strike, which is par for the Design and should not be Labeled Wear.