Maya Angelou overview

Maya Angelou was a poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist whose 1969 autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings became one of the most widely read American memoirs of the 20th century. She spent decades as a writer, performer, and educator, and read her poem On the Pulse of Morning at President Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration.

Released January 3, 2022, the Angelou quarter was the first coin in the American Women Quarters Program and the first coin in U.S. history to feature a Black woman. It set the tone for a series built around telling a wider range of American stories through everyday pocket change.

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Design and specifications

The reverse shows Angelou standing with her arms outstretched, a rising sun and a bird in flight behind her. Because a bust portrait was not an option under the series guidelines, designer Emily Damstra used open, minimal linework to keep the design airy rather than crowded.

The bird was modeled on a purple martin, a species native to Angelou’s home state of Arkansas, and doubles as a nod to the title of her best known memoir.

• Reverse sculptor: Craig Campbell
• Reverse designer (Artistic Infusion Program): Emily Damstra
• Release date: January 3, 2022
• Composition (standard clad): 91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel
• Composition (silver proof): 99.9% silver
• Diameter: 24.26 mm, edge: 119 reeds
• Obverse: George Washington, designed by Laura Gardin Fraser

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Mintage figures

Mintage by mint, all figures from official U.S. Mint production reports.

• Philadelphia (no mintmark): 237,600,000
• Denver (D): 258,200,000
• San Francisco proof (S): 303,520
• Total mintage: 496,103,520

With nearly 496 million struck, the Angelou quarter sits in the middle of the pack for the series, well ahead of the low mintage 2025 dates but behind 2023’s Edith Kanaka’ole and Bessie Coleman quarters.

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Why Maya Angelou was chosen

Angelou was selected as the first honoree in the series in part because of the breadth of her career. She was a poet, singer, dancer, actress, and civil rights organizer who worked alongside Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and she later became the first Black woman to have a nonfiction bestseller with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Her quarter also carries the distinction of being the first coin in American history to depict a Black woman, a milestone that made national news when it entered circulation in January 2022.

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Collecting the Maya Angelou quarter

Because nearly half a billion Angelou quarters were struck, circulated examples are only worth face value, twenty five cents. There is no shortage of them in coin roll hunting boxes even years after release.

Collectors looking for something beyond a pocket change find turn to the 2022 silver proof set version, struck in 99.9% silver, and top graded Mint State examples with full luster, which carry modest premiums mostly of interest to type collectors building a complete set of the series.

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5 fun facts about the Maya Angelou quarter

1. The Angelou quarter was the first coin ever released in the American Women Quarters Program, entering circulation on January 3, 2022.
2. It is the first U.S. coin in history to depict a Black woman.
3. The bird on the reverse is a purple martin, chosen because the species is native to Angelou’s home state of Arkansas.
4. Angelou read her poem On the Pulse of Morning at President Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration, one of the most watched poetry readings in American history.
5. Oprah Winfrey, a close friend of Angelou’s, publicly praised the coin’s design when it was unveiled in January 2022.

5 common FAQs about the Maya Angelou quarter

1. Is a Maya Angelou quarter worth anything?
   Circulated examples are worth face value, twenty five cents, since nearly 496 million were struck. Silver proofs and top graded Mint State coins can bring a small premium.
2. Why was Maya Angelou chosen for a quarter?
   She was selected for her decades of work as a poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist, and for being the first Black woman to have a nonfiction bestseller in the United States.
3. Is the Maya Angelou quarter silver?
   Only the proof version from the silver proof set is struck in 99.9% silver. Circulating coins use the standard copper and nickel clad composition.
4. Which mint struck the most Maya Angelou quarters?
   Denver struck slightly more than Philadelphia, 258.2 million versus 237.6 million.
5. What bird is on the Maya Angelou quarter?
   A purple martin, a bird native to Arkansas, Angelou’s home state, shown in flight behind her.

3 quiz questions about the Maya Angelou quarter

1. What was the first coin released in the American Women Quarters Program?
   A) Sally Ride
   B) Maya Angelou
   C) Wilma Mankiller
   D) Anna May Wong
2. What species of bird appears on the Maya Angelou quarter?
   A) Bald eagle
   B) Mockingbird
   C) Purple martin
   D) Cardinal
3. About how many Maya Angelou quarters were struck in total?
   A) 50 million
   B) 150 million
   C) 496 million
   D) 1 billion

Maya Angelou Quarter, Takeaway

The Maya Angelou quarter opened the American Women Quarters Program in January 2022 and made history as the first U.S. coin to feature a Black woman. With almost 496 million struck, it is common in circulation and worth face value, but its place as the series opener makes it a natural starting point for anyone building a complete set.

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