American Women Quarters Series
Pauli Murray Quarter
History, design, and collector guide
Pauli Murray overview
Pauli Murray was a civil rights lawyer, author, and activist whose legal scholarship helped shape arguments used in Brown v. Board of Education and later in cases establishing sex discrimination as unconstitutional. Murray also became the first Black person ordained an Episcopal priest, and is remembered today as one of the first openly gender nonconforming figures in American public life.
Released February 1, 2024, the Murray quarter opened the American Women Quarters Program’s third year, honoring more than 50 years of work across law, religion, and civil rights.
Design and specifications
The reverse shows a portrait of Murray set inside the word HOPE, accompanied by a quotation drawn from Murray’s own writing.
- Reverse sculptor: Joseph Menna
- Reverse designer (Artistic Infusion Program): Emily Damstra
- Release date: February 1, 2024
- 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
Mintage figures
Mintage by mint, all figures from official U.S. Mint production reports.
- Philadelphia (no mintmark): 168,400,000
- Denver (D): 185,500,000
- San Francisco proof (S): 506,360
- Total mintage: 354,406,360
At about 354.4 million coins, the Murray quarter has a lower mintage than most of the 2022 and 2023 releases, part of a gradual downward trend that continued through the rest of the series.
Why Pauli Murray was chosen
Murray was chosen for legal work that quietly shaped some of the most important civil rights cases of the 20th century. Murray’s 1944 law review paper on the harms of separate but equal was cited by Thurgood Marshall’s team while building the argument for Brown v. Board of Education.
Murray later co-founded the National Organization for Women and became the first Black person ordained an Episcopal priest in 1977, capping a career that moved between law, religion, and activism.
Collecting the Pauli Murray quarter
Circulated Murray quarters are worth face value, with about 354.4 million struck.
The silver proof version and high grade Mint State coins are the versions collectors pay a premium for, though as with the rest of the series, most circulated coins trade for exactly twenty five cents.
5 fun facts about the Pauli Murray quarter
- Pauli Murray’s 1944 legal scholarship was cited by Thurgood Marshall’s team while preparing Brown v. Board of Education.
- Murray became the first Black person ordained an Episcopal priest, in 1977.
- Murray co-founded the National Organization for Women in 1966.
- The reverse design places Murray’s portrait inside the word HOPE, paired with a quotation from Murray’s own writing.
- Murray’s quarter opened the American Women Quarters Program’s third year in February 2024.
5 common FAQs about the Pauli Murray quarter
- Is a Pauli Murray quarter worth anything?
Circulated coins are worth face value. About 354.4 million were struck. - Why was Pauli Murray chosen for a quarter?
Murray was honored for civil rights legal scholarship that influenced Brown v. Board of Education, and for a career spanning law, religion, and activism. - What is shown on the Pauli Murray quarter?
A portrait of Murray set inside the word HOPE, with a quotation from Murray’s writing. - What legal case did Pauli Murray’s work influence?
Murray’s 1944 scholarship on the harms of segregation was cited by the legal team behind Brown v. Board of Education. - When was the Pauli Murray quarter released?
It entered circulation on February 1, 2024, opening the program’s third year.
3 quiz questions about the Pauli Murray quarter
- What word is Pauli Murray’s portrait set inside on the quarter?
A) HOPE
B) FAITH
C) JUSTICE
D) UNITY - What legal case did Murray’s scholarship help influence?
A) Roe v. Wade
B) Brown v. Board of Education
C) Loving v. Virginia
D) Miranda v. Arizona - What religious milestone did Pauli Murray achieve in 1977?
A) First Black bishop
B) First Black person ordained an Episcopal priest
C) First female cardinal
D) First Black chaplain in Congress
Pauli Murray Quarter, Takeaway
The Pauli Murray quarter, released in February 2024, honors a civil rights lawyer whose scholarship shaped Brown v. Board of Education and who later became the first Black person ordained an Episcopal priest. With about 354.4 million struck, circulated coins are worth face value.