2023-S Eleanor Roosevelt Proof

The San Francisco clad proof of the Eleanor Roosevelt quarter shipped inside the 2023 United States Mint Proof Set and the dedicated American Women Quarters proof set, contributing to a combined reported mintage of 829,526 pieces. Roosevelt's archived correspondence, syndicated My Day column that ran from 1935 to 1962, and the seven volumes of her published writings provided Christina Hess with a deep textual base for selecting the inscription element on the reverse. The proof format gives that text its clearest reading, with the mirror field carrying it without competing surface texture, and most set collectors encounter the design first in this configuration.

Phebe Hemphill's sculpting work shows most plainly on the proof, where the polish of the field separates from the frost on the portrait and the inscribed quote with a sharp boundary at each character edge. The S mintmark below IN GOD WE TRUST on the obverse confirms San Francisco origin, paired with Laura Gardin Fraser's 1932 Washington portrait. Specifications match the standard clad proof: 91.67 percent copper and 8.33 percent nickel clad over a copper core, 5.67 grams, 24.3 millimeters, reeded edge. Authentication targets the frost coverage across the portrait, the cameo contrast in the quote letterforms, and the proper 2023 S mintmark style, which is documented in mint reference photographs and differs from the punch used in proof productions earlier in the program.

The dominant grade across third-party submissions is PR69 Deep Cameo at Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Ultra Cameo at Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), with PR70 examples available at moderate premiums. Original government packaging adds little to grading-service value but matters to set-collector buyers. Original government proof set packaging retains modest premiums on the secondary market, and intact early-release labels add a further increment for registry-set participants. Read the full Washington Quarters (American Women) series history.