Connecting America through Coins
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Women on the Nation's Coins
With regard to the total number of real women ever portrayed on U.S. coins, our records show the following:
Circulating Coins:
- Helen Keller on the reverse of the Alabama quarter: 2003
- Sacagawea on the dollar coin: 1999-Present
- Susan B. Anthony on the dollar coin: 1979-1981
Commemorative Coins:
- Queen Isabella of Spain on the Columbian Exposition Quarter Dollar: 1893
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver Silver Dollar: 1995
- Virginia Dare, with her mother Eleonor Dare, on the Roanoke Island, North Carolina Half Dollar: 1937
(Virginia Dare is mentioned by name on page 6 the Annual Report of the Director of the Mint for FY 1937. Other publications, such as R.S. Yeoman's "Guide Book of United States Coins," and Q. David Bowers' "Commemorative Coins of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia," have identified her mother as Eleonor Dare.) Although it could be argued that the mother and daughter images on the Roanoke coin don't fall into the classical "portrait" category, all available evidence indicates that the image was meant to represent real people.
Gold Coins:
