US Mint unveils design of the quarter honoring Patsy Mink

The US Mint is putting the image of Patsy Takemoto Mink on the quarter coin.

The US Mint recently released the design for a quarter honoring the late Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color to serve in Congress representing the state of Hawaii.

The US Mint began designing the quarter after a letter from Hawaii's US Senator Mazie Hirono in 2021.

“Patsy Mink was a champion for social justice, equality, and civil rights—she was a trailblazer in every sense of the word,” said Senator Hirono.

“As the first woman of color to serve in Congress and a lead author of Title IX, Congresswoman Mink worked to ensure that all women in our country have every opportunity men have. I’m glad to see the Mint honoring Rep. Mink as part of the American Women Quarters Program so that people all across our country can learn more about her immeasurable contributions to Hawaii and our nation.”

The obverse (heads) depicts a portrait of George Washington, originally composed and sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser to mark George Washington’s 200th birthday. A recommended design for the 1932 quarter, then-Treasury Secretary Mellon ultimately selected the familiar John Flanagan design.

The reverse (tails) depicts Mink holding her landmark “TITLE IX” legislation. In the background, a view of the US Capitol Building prominently features the south wing, home to the US House of Representatives, where Mink served in Congress. The lei she wears represents her home state of Hawaii.

Authorized by the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, the American Women Quarters Program features coins with designs emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of prominent American women.

Contributions come from a wide spectrum of fields including, but not limited to, suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts. The women honored come from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds.

As required by the law, no living person will be featured in the coin designs, and thus all the women honored must be deceased. The Mint is issuing five coins with different reverse designs annually over the four-year period from 2022 through 2025.

Other Asian American women already honored by the program are the first Asian American movie star Anna May Wong, and Native Hawaiian cultural teacher and advocate Edith Kanakaole.

Besides Mink, other women who will be featured on quarters in 2024 include:

• Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray – poet, writer, activist, lawyer, and Episcopal priest
• Dr. Mary Edwards Walker – Civil War era surgeon, women’s rights and dress reform advocate
• Celia Cruz – Cuban American singer, cultural icon, and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century
• Zitkala-Ša – Native American writer, composer, educator, and political activist

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