CVC & Collectables presents the 2023 Maria Tallchief American Women Quarter, honoring America’s first Native American prima ballerina and her trailblazing role in modern ballet.
Coin Highlights
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Country: United States
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Denomination: 25 Cents (Quarter Dollar)
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Series: American Women Quarters Program – tenth design overall, fifth release of the 2023 issues
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Year: 2023
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Mints: Philadelphia (“P”)
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Composition (clad): 91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel; 5.67 g; 24.26 mm; 1.75 mm thick; reeded edge
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Mintage (approx.): 184,8,00,00M
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Obverse: Laura Gardin Fraser’s right-facing George Washington with LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, 2023, and mint mark
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Reverse: Maria Tallchief in a fully extended balletic leap, spotlighted and wearing her Firebird costume; her Osage name, translating to “Two Standards,” appears in Osage orthography beneath her name, with legends UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, QUARTER DOLLAR, MARIA TALLCHIEF
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Designers: Reverse by Benjamin Sowards (Artistic Infusion Program), sculpted by Chief Engraver Joseph Menna; obverse portrait by Laura Gardin Fraser
Historical Significance
The American Women Quarters Program (2022–2025) honors women whose achievements reshaped U.S. history, issuing five new reverse designs each year across fields from suffrage and civil rights to science and the arts. The Maria Tallchief quarter is the tenth design in the series and the final 2023 release, spotlighting a figure who brought international recognition to American ballet while proudly maintaining her Osage identity.
Born in 1925 in Fairfax, Oklahoma, on Osage land, Tallchief became America’s first major prima ballerina and the first Native American to hold that rank, rising to stardom in George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet—especially in his landmark production of The Firebird. Her Osage name, meaning “Two Standards,” reflects the balance between her Indigenous heritage and her role at the forefront of American high art; the quarter’s reverse captures that idea through the dynamic leap, theater spotlight, and Osage-script inscription.
Collectibility
Collectors can pursue this design in several formats: P and D Brilliant Uncirculated circulation strikes (ideal for rolls, bags, and album sets), S-mint clad proofs, and a 99.9% silver proof from San Francisco included in the 2023 American Women Quarters Silver Proof Set. With over 370 million clad coins struck but relatively low proof mintages, high-grade examples—especially S-mint proofs and silver proofs with deep cameo contrast and clean fields—offer appealing modern type and registry candidates.
The Maria Tallchief quarter also has strong crossover demand beyond general AWQ set builders: it fits naturally into themed collections focused on Native American history, ballet and the performing arts, women’s achievements, or Osage Nation heritage. The bold reverse, distinctive Osage lettering, and final-of-the-year status within the 2023 lineup make it a standout design in the program and an important piece for any modern U.S. quarter collection.
