Proposed designs for the 2023 Native American dollar and five 2023 American Women quarter dollars were recommended April 19 by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

The reverse for the 2023 Native American dollar will recognize the nation’s first prima ballerina, Maria Tallchief.

Tallchief is also being recognized on the reverse of one of the 2023 American Women quarter dollars.

The theme for the 2023 Native American dollar reverse is “Maria Tallchief: American Indians in Ballet.” Whatever proposed reverse design is given final approval by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will be paired with the series’ common obverse featuring a rendition of Sacagawea.

Of the seven proposed designs considered by the CCAC for the 2023 Native American dollar reverse, the CCAC recommends one with Tallchief at center flanked by two ballerinas on either side in the background, with all ballerinas poised “en pointe” (on their toes).

In addition to Tallchief, others to be recognized in the five-coin 2023 American Women quarter dollar program are American pilot Bessie Coleman, journalist Jovita Idár, Hawaiian composer Edith Kanaka`ole and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

➤ Bessie Coleman — pilot, advocate, and pioneer who flew to great heights as the first African American and first Native American woman pilot, as well as the first African American to earn an international pilot’s license.
From nine proposed designs, the CCAC-recommended design depicts Coleman as she suits up in preparation for flight, her expression reflecting her determination. Added is the inscription 8.15.1921, the date Coleman received her pilot’s license.
➤ Jovita Idár — Mexican American journalist, activist, teacher, and suffragist. From 12 proposed designs, the CCAC recommends a submission that illustrates Idár with her hands clasped. Text within the body represents the newspapers she wrote for and great accomplishments in her life, along with required coin inscriptions.
➤ Edith Kanaka`ole — indigenous Hawaiian composer, chanter, dancer, teacher, and entertainer. Her mo`olelo, or stories, served to rescue aspects of Hawaiian history, customs, and traditions that were disappearing due to the cultural bigotry of the 1970s.
From eight proposed designs, the CCAC recommends a design portraying Kanaka`ole with her hair and lei po’o morphing into a Hawaiian landscape, illustrating the integration of Kanaka`ole’s work with the preservation of the land and culture.
➤ Eleanor Roosevelt — former first lady, author, reformer, and leader. As chairperson of the Human Rights Commission, she oversaw the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and served as the first chair of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
Of four proposed designs that tied in committee voting, the CCAC’s recommendation, which is also favored by the Roosevelt family, depicts Roosevelt and the scales of justice against a backdrop representing the globe and symbolizing her work on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
➤ Maria Tallchief – America’s first prima ballerina, who broke barriers as a Native American ballerina, exhibiting strength and resilience both on and off the stage.
From seven proposed designs, the CCAC recommendation illustrates Tallchief leaping across the design, with an inscription meaning “two standards” depicted in Osage orthography.

Under provisions of Public Law 116-330 — the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 — the American Women Quarters Program provides for the production and release of five quarter dollars annually in four years,  2022 through 2025, for a total of 20 coins comprising the series.

The common obverse depicting George Washington facing right was originally submitted in 1931 by American sculptor Laura Gardin Fraser in a design competition for the Washington quarter dollar.

Whatever proposed Native American dollar reverse design is given final approval by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will be paired with the series’ common obverse featuring a rendition of Sacagawea. The common obverse, from the Sacagawea dollar, struck from 2000 to 2008, was adopted for the Native American dollar series starting in 2009.

The portrait of Sacagawea carrying her infant son, Jean-Baptiste on her back while guiding the Lewis and Clark Expedition was designed by the late American sculptor Glenna Goodacre.

Connect with Coin World:  
Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Access our Dealer Directory  
Like us on Facebook  
Follow us on Twitter