2022-S Nina Otero-Warren, Silver Proof

The .999 fine silver proof Nina Otero-Warren quarter carries the 407,557-piece reported mintage figure shared across the five 2022 American Women silver proofs, distributed through the 2022 Silver Proof Set, the 2022 American Women Quarters Silver Proof Set, and individual silver-quarter offerings from the United States Mint. Otero-Warren's coalition-building work for the Nineteenth Amendment ratification campaign in New Mexico, her schoolhouse reforms across Santa Fe County, and her 1922 congressional candidacy together justify her selection for the American Women program. The silver proof format captures the design with the visual depth that pure silver gives over copper-nickel clad blanks.

The reverse, designed by Artistic Infusion Program artist Chris Costello and sculpted by Craig A. Campbell, presents Otero-Warren in profile beside three Yucca flowers, the official New Mexico state flower, with the bilingual inscription VOTO PARA LA MUJER below the design. The obverse retains Laura Gardin Fraser's 1932 Washington portrait. Specifications shift from the clad version: the silver proof weighs 6.343 grams in .999 fine silver, with the same 24.3 millimeter diameter and reeded edge as circulating quarters. The United States Mint moved silver proofs from the older 90 percent silver alloy to .999 fine starting in 2019, so all silver American Women issues use the higher fineness.

Authenticators rely on weight and edge profile as the primary indicators of silver content, since the higher mass of 6.343 grams falls noticeably above the 5.67-gram clad weight and the edge color confirms pure silver throughout the planchet. Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) populations cluster at Proof-69 and Proof-70 Deep Cameo or Ultra Cameo, with registry collecting driving premiums for the highest grade. Milk-spot vigilance remains warranted on silver issues from this period, since the white deposits visible only under careful lighting can reduce grading-service value substantially even on otherwise pristine coins. For program-wide background, see the Washington Quarters (American Women) series history.