The Washington Quarter by Charles Morgan for CoinWeek …..
Two hundred and forty-four years to the day that General George Washington and his Continental Army forces crossed the Delaware River to stage a surprise attack on British-aligned Hessian soldiers, the United States Mint pushed out a press release announcing the new reverse that will make its debut on the 2021 Washington quarter. It features a design that honors Washington’s historic yet often mythologized 300-yard voyage.
Given that we are fast approaching the end of the year, I would not be surprised to find out that the new design was already in production.
Assuming my math is correct, this will be the 114th reverse that has been married to some version of John Flanagan’s Washington quarter obverse. The Heraldic Eagle, the Washington quarter’s original backside, appeared uninterrupted from 1932 to 1974. Jack Ahr’s Drummer Boy reverse was struck for circulating quarters in 1975 and 1976 and continued to be produced through the early ’80s as the Mint manufactured a small number of Bicentennial silver-clad Proof and Uncirculated sets until the products were removed from their catalog in 1981. In 1977, the Heraldic Eagle returned to its perch on the reverse of the quarter and stayed there until 1998.
In 1999, the United States Mint embarked on its longest and most successful public relations program ever launching the Congressionally-mandated 50 State Quarters Program. For the next 10 years, the Mint produced five quarter designs a year to honor each state in the order in which they were admitted to the Union. The early days of the program brought renewed interest in the coin hobby. There was speculation, to be sure, but an entirely new generation of Americans got to experience the thrill of filling coin boards in an attempt to complete a set.
The third design of 1999, released on May 17, featured a scene of Washington crossing the Delaware River.
Maybe it was inevitable, but collector enthusiasm for the program waned by the end of the series. After the first two years of brisk sales, the Mint began to report declining sales numbers for Proof and Mint Sets. The crude, almost clip-art nature of some if not most of the designs didn’t help, but the length of the 50 State Quarters program probably worked to its detriment.
Still, the effort made money and was a good public relations program. Congress doubled down on the circulating commemorative concept by authorizing the Presidential dollar coin program starting in 2007, the production of quarters for the District of Columbia and U.S. territories for 2009, and a new 56-coin quarter program–America the Beautiful–starting in 2010.
When the Mint issues the new (second) Washington Crossing the Delaware design in 2021, it will mark 23 years since the quarter has had a consistent design year-to-year.
Which begs the question: why are we stuck with Flanagan’s Washington quarter design in the first place? Granted, I felt some sense of nostalgia seeing the obverse revert back to the quarter as I remember it from my youth, but that quickly wore off once I realized that 2021 would mark the return of the garish “Spaghetti Hair” iteration of the design that the Mint adopted in the mid-1990s. What makes the 2021 Spaghetti Hair obverse worse than the 1998 one is that the Mint’s die-making technology is much improved today and the fact that NOBODY who collects Washington quarters holds this version of the coin in high regard.
Obviously, it will take an Act of Congress to correct course and see to it that we get a revitalized coinage that fits the aspirations and needs of 21st-century Americans. Given Congress’s track record on any number of issues important to the furtherance of the American experiment, I’m not holding my breath.
Still, the release of the 2021 quarter is indicative of something collectors have known for quite a while: it’s time to change our change. The Lincoln cent, the Jefferson nickel, the Roosevelt dime, the Washington quarter, the Kennedy half, and whatever passes these days for the “golden dollar” have all had their day. It’s time to move on.
Sorry, George. But it’s not like you ever wanted your likeness to appear on our coins, anyway.
IT will take a President like Teddy Roosevelt who loved numismatics and saw coin art as a reflection of the stature and ideals of the US to reinvigorate the designs. The reverse of the Washington Quarter is a good step forward.
I have written this elsewhere but the only designs I would keep for now are the Kennedy half although I would plan for a change of design in 20 years. Hopefully by then we will have rid our currency of superfluous denominations such as the Lincoln cent.
We need to celebrate our basic heritage as these 50 united states. I think its high time our coinage return to its noble roots. I say we totally tedesign and reissue our nation’s coinage, celebrating our common American heritage, the things we cherish most as U.S. citizens. I am calling all Americans to unite, contact their legislators, and have our coinage restored to American values. Much as I love the Lincoln cent, it was the beginning of the end. It began a trend of “dead Presidents”, moving us away from our long-standing tradition of portraying Liberty, her head, her figure, or an Americanized liberty head; the Indian head penny. Lets get back to what this country was founded on. Along with that, issue a coin celebrating the role of our patriots, the minutemen.
It’s better than seeing The Queen on everything
The U S Mint doesn’t answer my questions regarding the prices of the 2021 Annual Sets since they won’t have 5 quarters forward and they increased their prices using the pandemic as an excuse. Matter fact… They increased the prices on every set or single coin and the Silver Proof Set was increased twice, but, as of tomorrow, the set is going to have only 3 silver coins. The price shouldn’t be $100+ 2021 forward.
I agree it’s time to move on from the so-called “Presidential” coin designs. As you correctly point out, Washington himself disapproved of the practice as monarchical. Certainly designs reflecting other aspects of our history should be considered rather than focusing on specific individuals.
At the same time we might even consider rationalizing sizes and denominations, as has been done in many other major nations. Yes, discontinue the cent but also restore the half as a circulating coin by reducing its size and possibly changing its shape as the UK did with their 50p coin. It might even be possible to introduce a small, distinctive $2 coin (see Australia’s version rather than Canada’s large, bland “twonie”).
I agree.
Washington disapproved of current presidents pictured on coins. Commemoration of past leaders is completely different.
Why not coin only Gold and Silver get rid of Fiat currency?
Because that horse left the barn decades ago. To match current money supplies, precious-metal prices would have to rise significantly, more than tenfold according to some estimates I’ve read. In addition every country on earth would have to agree to keep prices stable; otherwise it would be very easy for one or a group of rogue governments to sow chaos by manipulating prices and/or supplies.
Yes go back lady liberty. No one else
I personally would like to see our Lady Liberty’s image on the quarter, dime and half dollar coins. Why can’t we go back to the traditional?
As others have stated, I too would like to see the Presidential portraits removed and for us to return back to lady liberty, and other historic images. I think we can also easily recognize all of the people of our great nation and what they have done to improve our country. Bring back the Indian Cent, the buffalo nickel, the mercury dime and the standing liberty quarter. all with updated designs. Same goes for the half dollar and maybe the dollar. Also make them usable sizes. While we are at it we should do the same for the bills. Remove the presidents from the bills and go back to patriotic imagery as well to match the coins. You can keep the buildings one the if you want or put up pictures of the declaration of independence, the constitution, and the bill of rights, the star spangled banner and other historic and patriotic imagery. I think we have quite a bit to choose from.
I like the idea of returning to having Lady Liberty on the obverse of our coins. But I think it would be much more interesting and exciting to have completely new designs rather than bringing back any past designs and updating them.
I think we should “go back to the future” with the prettiest of our coins of the past. The Indian cent, the Buffalo nickel, the Mercury dime, the Standing Liberty quarter, the Walking Liberty half dollar, and put the Morgan design on our “golden” dollar coins.
Including any allegorical human figure on our coins in this politically correct climate will draw criticism from one group or another. I say we only use nature scenes and/or technological themes on coins and notes.
I think we should just leave it alone and save our money
It’s time to change the picture of coin 2021.
Good luck. There will no change to who is portrayed on our coins. Not now, not ever. I would not want a change anyhow, for any change would highly likely woke in nature and divisive as well. Face it, we had our best coin designs very many decades, even a century or more ago.
When did Washington become an Indian, Terrible Sideview, An Ugly Coin, Reverses will be so much better,