What is the Standing Liberty Quarter?

In 1915, under the charge of the then-US Mint director, Robert W. Woolley, the mint began to inquire about the replacement of the Barber dime, quarter, and half dollar. Woolley believed that changing the design was required by the law, but we now know that he was mistaken and a new design was not necessary. 

So, Wooley set out to redesign the coins and he’d heard about the work of Hermon MacNeil, a well-known sculptor and artist, after he submitted a design to the Mint. MacNeil’s original design was considered militaristic, as it featured Lady Liberty standing strong as she guarded these beautiful states against a proverbial attack, whether foreign or domestic. At that time in US history, the US was involved in WWI. Woolley and the Mint asked MacNeil to go back to the drawing board and submit a new design. What MacNeil came up with was a design that incorporated Lady Liberty in the middle and a duo of dolphins swimming in the water on either side of her. The dolphins were meant to highlight our oceans, the Atlantic and Pacific.

By the year of the release, 1916, the US Mint went behind the artist’s back and made a series of major changes to the design. MacNeil was not consulted and was rightfully bothered by the lack of communication. He made a series of complaints, in 1916 and then again in January of 1917 when the coin’s new issue was sent for approval. Woolley and the Mint decided to let MacNeil design the coin he wanted and, in order to give the sculptor autonomy to do that, special legislative approval was sought and obtained. An example of one of the changes MacNeil made was to add a chain mail vest to cover Lady Liberty’s exposed breasts. In the previous 1916 and 1917 design, Lady Liberty’s chest was bare

One important thing to note about this coin is that when it reached circulation, the Mint began to notice that the date inscribed on the coin wore away quickly. By 1925, the US Mint had a solution whereby its engravers modified the design. From 1925 on, the dates on the coins are more prevalent.

In 1931, after a fifteen year production, the US Mint discontinued the coin. That year no quarters were struck. In 1932 a new coin made its debut – the Washington quarter. The coin came about by decree of a Congressional act. It was the first time a president’s profile was put onto a coin. For this momentous “first,” the US Mint chose to use the image of our first president, and thus, the Washington quarter was born.