The Mint Act of 1792, which created the United States Mint, specified that certain design features appear on legal tender coins, including the quarter-dollar. One side of the coin had to include the year in which it was minted, an image that symbolized liberty and the inscription LIBERTY. For more than 115 years, liberty was symbolized on the obverse (heads) of the coin by allegorical female figures (Lady Liberty) in the form of a bust or a full-length figure. The reverse (tails) of the quarter featured an eagle and the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
The representations of Lady Liberty and the eagle on the quarter during the late 18th and early 19th centuries were altered many times to remain consistent with the changing designs of other coins. Lady Liberty started out with flowing hair, and then became a draped bust, then a capped bust. The eagle also underwent several makeovers. Over time, the eagle grew to become grander and more heraldic.
At the museum, we have a vintage payphone that uses a variety of coins, including quarters. The caller would insert his/her coin and the operator would know which coin was inserted by the various bells and gongs she heard.
[1815 quarter photo credit:coincommunity.com member Susanlynn9]
The representations of Lady Liberty and the eagle on the quarter during the late 18th and early 19th centuries were altered many times to remain consistent with the changing designs of other coins. Lady Liberty started out with flowing hair, and then became a draped bust, then a capped bust. The eagle also underwent several makeovers. Over time, the eagle grew to become grander and more heraldic.
At the museum, we have a vintage payphone that uses a variety of coins, including quarters. The caller would insert his/her coin and the operator would know which coin was inserted by the various bells and gongs she heard.
[1815 quarter photo credit:coincommunity.com member Susanlynn9]