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Classic Commemorative; History Lesson #9

image Been a while since I've done one of these. My last lesson I gave the history around the 1892/3 Columbian. I'll talk about the 1893 Isabella Quarter today:

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Isabella of Castile


The Isabella Quarter
Frank F. Hanisco; BellaOnline

Among coin collectors, the commemorative coins issued by the U.S. Mint, supply a wide assortment to pique one’s interest. The commemoratives celebrate people, places and events important to society, and the Isabella Quarter is no exception. The Isabella Quarter was not only one of the first U.S. commemoratives coins, but it was the first commemorative quarter, and one of the most unusual. It celebrates the women’s role in industry, and believe it or not, it was issued in 1893 in conjunction with the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

By 1890, Susan B. Anthony was lecturing throughout the country on behalf of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. At the same time, Bertha Honoré Palmer, the wife of Potter Palmer of the Palmer House in Chicago, was focusing her attentions on improving the education and economic status of women, and was backing the ideological principle of equal pay for equal work. Susan B. Anthony saw the World’s Columbian Exposition as a stage upon which women could have an active voice in the administration and presentation of exhibits dealing with women’s interests. She enthusiastically petitioned both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate for a ‘Board of Lady Managers’ to oversee women’s activities at the fair. Congress approved funding for a Women’s Building and related expenses, and Bertha Honoré Palmer was appointed as president of the ‘Board of Lady Managers.’

Since construction for the fair was behind schedule, and the exposition’s opening was postponed until 1893, Mrs. Palmer used this opportunity to travel abroad to generate interest in the fair, and her international connections proved to be extremely successful. Not only did she secure a place at the fair to build the Women’s Building, designed by a woman architect, which was to house works by and about women, but she also managed to persuade some of Europe’s royal women to lend display materials, and she secured space in each state building to include exhibits of female interest.

Bertha Honoré Palmer then turned her attention to Congress’ Appropriations Committee. Following the lead of the souvenir Columbian Exposition commemorative half-dollar, to be produced to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America, Mrs. Potter lobbied and procured funding in the form of 40,000 commemorative quarters. In keeping with the female theme, she insisted on a female effigy on the coin, and what could be more fitting then Columbus’ benefactor, Queen Isabella of Spain.

In March 1893, the Mint Director Edward O. Leech informed the ‘Board of Lady Managers,’ that they needed to forward the likeness of Queen Isabella to be used on the commemorative quarter. In this way, it would save both time and money in production. Having some idea of the politics within government, it has been reported that Susan B. Anthony advised Mrs. Palmer to ignore the Mint Director’s request and to pursue the commemorative quarter through normal channels. Bertha Palmer wanted to keep with an all female input into the design, and selected a New York artist, and student of the famed sculptor, Augustus St.Gaudens, by the name of Caroline Peddle to create the design. This action greatly offended the Chief Engraver, Charles Barber, and all chances for approval of Peddle’s design was quashed. Charles Barber chose artist Kenyon Cox, who had painted several murals and illustrations at the exposition, to prepare sketches from which Barber personally created models and dies for the new quarter.

Charles Barber’s design of the Isabella Quarter features the crowned bust of the young Queen on the obverse. The legend encircling the bust reads UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and the date 1893 is found to the right of the Queen’s image. The design on the reverse features what was thought to be the major industry of women, at that time. It depicts a kneeling woman, holding a distaff, which was used for spinning wool or flax, in her left hand, and a spindle in her right. Surrounding the image, on the coin’s border, the inscription reads BOARD OF LADY MANAGERS and COLUMBIAN QUAR. DOL.

The Philadelphia Mint began production on the 40,000 quarters on June 13, 1893 about six weeks after the Columbian Exposition opened. Estimates of somewhere between 40 to 100 proof struck coins were made in addition to the 3 special documented proof quarters. The three special documented proofs were coins #400 (for the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering America), #1492 (the year of Columbus’s discovery), and #1892 (for the anniversary year). These special proofs were presented to the ‘Board of Lady Managers.’

The Isabella Quarters were sold as souvenirs for $1.00 each at the Women’s Building on the fair grounds. Even though an estimated 27.5 million visitors (including about 25% of the population of the United States) attended the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, only a small quantity of the quarters sold. Ultimately, 15,809 pieces were returned to the mint for melting, which left a net mintage of 24,191 Isabella Quarters (including proofs).

The Isabella Quarter was the first U.S. coin to feature the portrait of an actual female; the first commemorative quarter; and, the only U.S. coin to feature a woman on both sides of the coin. The Isabella Quarter is a key coin to any collector of U.S. commemoratives coins, as well as to many woman collectors for what it represents. In a review of the World’s Columbian Exposition and the role played by women, “The Cosmopolitan” wrote in September 1893, “To compare the exhibit of Women’s work with that of previous expositions is to realize that a revolution has been effected, not alone in woman’s position, but in modern civilization.”


Links To Previous Lessons:
Lesson #1

Lesson #2

Lesson #3

Lesson #4

Lesson #5

Lesson #6

Lesson #7

Lesson #8

Comments

  • HTubbsHTubbs Posts: 4,138 ✭✭✭
    Mmmm,nice dark tonerimage
  • the isabella was my first commemorativeimage
  • LeianaLeiana Posts: 4,349
    Very interesting! May I add some information on Queen Isabella and what ocurred during her reign with King Ferdinando?

    -Amanda
    image

    I'm a YN working on a type set!

    My Buffalo Nickel Website Home of the Quirky Buffaloes Collection!

    Proud member of the CUFYNA
  • NumisOxideNumisOxide Posts: 10,984 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nice Isabella and great info.image
  • dizzyfoxxdizzyfoxx Posts: 9,823 ✭✭✭
    Lee, outstanding.image

    Thanks!image
    image...There's always time for coin collecting. image
  • JulioJulio Posts: 2,501
    Lee; Always knew you were a gentleman, but a scholar also. Great info. for all to enjoy. jws
    image
  • BECOKABECOKA Posts: 16,957 ✭✭✭
    I love this stuff.
  • mrearlygoldmrearlygold Posts: 17,858 ✭✭✭
    I likes me that there Isabellaimage
  • GoldenEyeNumismaticsGoldenEyeNumismatics Posts: 13,187 ✭✭✭
    I just realized that the portrait of Isabella on the coin really doesn't look anything like the real Queen Isabella image
  • LeeGLeeG Posts: 12,162


    << <i>May I add some information on Queen Isabella and what ocurred during her reign with King Ferdinando? >>


    Please do. Can never have too much informationimage
  • StorkStork Posts: 5,205 ✭✭✭✭✭
    image thread. This type of thread is the best! Thanks for the links to the others...I now have some reading to do image.

    Cathy

  • mcheathmcheath Posts: 2,437 ✭✭✭
    very cool post and great coin. keep this one at the top of the page. are ther other com. quarters? i cant think of any off the top of my head.
  • LeeGLeeG Posts: 12,162
    Thanks for all the nice comments so far. I really enjoy working on this one.image
  • LeianaLeiana Posts: 4,349


    << <i>

    << <i>May I add some information on Queen Isabella and what ocurred during her reign with King Ferdinando? >>


    Please do. Can never have too much informationimage >>



    I learned this in my Spanish History class!

    Ferdinando and Isabella were called the Catholic Monarchs (Los Reyes Catolicos) because they suceeded in uniting the two main regions of Spain, Castille and Leon, under the crown. They suceeded in driving out the Moors and other non-Catholics with the Spanish Inquisition. Some historians suggest that this religious fervor was in response to Henry VIII in England who was currently setting up his own religion, Anglicanism. The famous Spanish Armada also got its start under their reign. Back in 1492, in what is called Old Spanish, Isabella's name was spelled with a Y. This explains why the Coat of arms of the Monarchs was an F, a cross and a Y.

    When Columbs (Cristobol Colon) was trynig to get funding for his voyage to the Indies, Spain was his last resort. They said they would fund him, but kept putting off when. Finally, they set him uo with his now famous ships, The Nina, The Pinta and the Santa Maria. They expected to never see him again, so it was a great surprise when he came back with some Indians! Columbus recieved financing for three other voyages to the New World. He died thinking he had found another route to the Indies, not an entirely new continent.

    -Amanda
    image

    I'm a YN working on a type set!

    My Buffalo Nickel Website Home of the Quirky Buffaloes Collection!

    Proud member of the CUFYNA
  • CommemDudeCommemDude Posts: 2,192 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Thank you Lee and Leiana...I alway learn something new from these posts! Like all coins, commems connect us to the historical times in which they were produced. image
    Dr Mikey
    Commems and Early Type
  • ShamikaShamika Posts: 18,759 ✭✭✭✭

    Thank you Lee for a great thread.

    Buyer and seller of vintage coin boards!

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