2023-S Jovita Idar, NIFC

The San Francisco "not intended for circulation" Jovita Idar quarter occupies a small but persistent niche of the American Women program: an S mintmark coin produced for collectors who want the third mint's strike without paying proof prices. The honoree was a journalist born in Laredo, Texas in 1885 whose career advanced both Mexican American civil rights and the survival of bilingual education in a state that increasingly criminalized Spanish in the classroom. She wrote across her family's papers, organized through the League of Mexican Women, and stood in the doorway of El Progreso in 1914 when Texas Rangers came to shutter it. Her quarter entered United States Mint product lines in 2023 as uncirculated S strikes packaged in two-roll and bag formats, with the total NIFC distribution sharing the same 829,526 figure reported for San Francisco's clad output.

Production used the standard 91.67% copper-nickel clad composition bonded to pure copper, the same 5.67 gram weight and 24.3 millimeter diameter as the Philadelphia and Denver strikes, and a reeded edge. The uncirculated finish, rather than proof polish, distinguishes these S coins from their proof counterparts; the fields show a satiny rather than mirror-like appearance under Phebe Hemphill's reverse portrait. Authentication on NIFC issues focuses on the S mintmark sharpness, the satin texture of the fields, and the absence of bag marks, since these coins move directly from press to packaging and should arrive without contact damage.

Premiums on raw rolls have held steady since release. Certified MS-68 and MS-69 examples in Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) holders attract attention from registry collectors building three-mint sets. Original sealed Mint bags and rolls remain the most reliable source for certified gem examples, with sealing tags providing dealer-verified provenance for high-grade submissions. See the Washington Quarters (American Women) series history.