This 2023 quarter with the San Francisco mint mark honours Edith Kanakaʻole, who preserved Native Hawaiian knowledge, culture, traditions and history through hula and chanting. It is the second coin of 2023 in the American Women Quarters Program; shipping began on 27 March 2023.

For Kanakaʻole, hula and chant were the main tools for preserving Hawaiian knowledge. The Hawaiian inscription on the coin, E hō mai ka ʻike, «granting the wisdom», points to that role.

The reverse bears a portrait of Kanakaʻole whose hair and lei poʻo morph into elements of a Hawaiian landscape, symbolising her work to preserve the islands’ land and traditional culture. The design is by Emily Damstra and the sculpting by Renata Gordon. The obverse carries the portrait of George Washington by Laura Gardin Fraser: it was created for Washington’s 200th birthday and recommended for the 1932 quarter, but John Flanagan’s design was chosen instead. The American Women Quarters Program was authorized by Public Law 116-330 and ran between 2022 and 2025, five coins a year.

Quarters of this program for everyday circulation are struck at Philadelphia and Denver. Coins with the S mint mark of San Francisco were issued in circulating quality in a three-roll set that brings together quarters of all three mints.

The coin fits a mint-and-date set of the American Women Quarters as well as a themed collection on Hawaii, dance and outstanding women. UNC condition means the coin has never circulated: there is no wear and the original mint lustre is intact.

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