2023-S Bessie Coleman, NIFC

The 2023-S Bessie Coleman uncirculated quarter belongs to the Not Intended For Circulation distribution channel, struck at San Francisco and sold direct to collectors through United States Mint two-roll sets and one-hundred-coin bags rather than entering commerce through the Federal Reserve. Coleman's selection for the program highlights an aviation career that opened doors closed to two communities at once: she sailed for France in 1920 after exhausting every American option, completed her training under the Caudron Brothers in seven months, and returned to barnstorm before mixed-race audiences across the South while refusing engagements that segregated her viewers. The S-mint NIFC mintage of 829,526 represents the full uncirculated production figure for the design and stays far below the combined Philadelphia and Denver circulation totals of 619,200,000.

Laura Gardin Fraser's 1932 Washington portrait carries the obverse. The reverse, conceived by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program artist Chris Costello and sculpted by Eric David Custer, shows Coleman in her flight cap and goggles with biplane and clouds behind her shoulder. NIFC strikes use the standard clad alloy of 91.67 percent copper and 8.33 percent nickel over a pure copper core, 5.67 grams, 24.3 millimeters, with a reeded edge. The defining distinction from the proof issue is finish: NIFC coins receive a single-strike uncirculated treatment that yields satiny luster across the fields rather than the polished mirror reflectivity of San Francisco proofs. Authentication checks weight, the S mintmark placement below "IN GOD WE TRUST," and the absence of mirror finish under reflected light.

Mint State 67 and Mint State 68 holders from Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) carry the meaningful premiums on this issue, with the 829,526 mintage and the small collector base targeting San Francisco uncirculated material supporting demand at the top of the population reports. Read more on our Washington Quarters (American Women) series history.