The first Draped Bust quarter was released in 1796 with a mintage of slightly more than 6,000. No more were minted until 1804, and these were only minted with small variations and low mintages up until 1807. From 1808 to 1814, there were no quarter dollars minted. In 1815, minting resumed with the Capped Bust design consisting of two different varieties.
The year of 1838 saw the introduction of the Liberty Seated quarter. This coin came in five varieties and lasted up until 1891. The first design had no motto above the eagle. The second one, issued in 1853, had arrows signifying a decrease in weight and rays around the eagle. The third variety, which was released from 1854 to 1855, omitted the rays around the eagle. The fourth iteration, which lasted from 1866 until 1873, included the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” on the reverse. The final version, distributed in 1873 and 1874, contained arrows that signified the adoption of the metric system by the U.S. Mint.
In 1892, the U.S. Mint introduced the Liberty Head or Barber quarter. This version lasted until 1916, when the Standing Liberty quarter appeared. The Standing Liberty quarter featured a bare-breasted Liberty in a long, flowing gown. From 1917 to 1930, she was covered in chain mail.
In 1932, the U.S. Mint released the Washington quarter, which is still in circulation today. Though the design was initially created to honor the bicentennial of the birth of the first U.S. president, Congress made the new design permanent. The first versions of this coin were struck in 90% silver. In 1965, the mint changed the composition of the coin to copper-nickel clad coinage. Since then, the coin has been issued in different series and types, such as the Bicentennial from 1975–1976, the State quarter series from 1999–2008, and the America the Beautiful quarter program from 2010–2021.
