2025-P Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells, born into slavery in Mississippi in 1862, rose to become one of the most consequential investigative journalists in American history. Her documentation of lynching in the Southern states, published as pamphlets and in newspapers she co-owned, exposed the violence used to enforce white supremacy after Reconstruction. She lectured widely in the United States and abroad, helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909, and remained active in suffrage organizing through the early twentieth century. The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded her a posthumous Special Citation in 2020 for her courageous reporting. Philadelphia struck 166,200,000 of the 2025 quarters honoring her, placing her likeness into general circulation as part of the final year of the American Women Quarters Program.

The reverse, attributed to Artistic Infusion Program artist Christina Hess pending final verification of the credit, presents a portrait of Wells accompanied by elements referencing her investigative journalism, including newspapers, a pen, or a quill. Laura Gardin Fraser's 1932 Washington portrait occupies the obverse. Specifications follow standard clad practice at 91.67 percent copper and 8.33 percent nickel bonded over a copper core, 5.67 grams in weight, 24.3 millimeters in diameter, with a reeded edge. Authentication of a Philadelphia strike depends on confirming the P mintmark on the obverse just right of Washington's queue. Examine the strike on the lettering and on Wells's portrait detail, since softness in those areas affects grading outcomes. Inspect the rims for the sharp business-strike profile and check for the satin cartwheel luster characteristic of Philadelphia production.

Circulated examples trade for face value, with collectors focused on high-grade MS67 and MS68 pieces certified by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC). The final year of the program has prompted heightened collector activity, particularly in registry sets that include all sixteen honorees over the four-year run. For context on the series, the legislation that authorized it, and the design selection process, see the Washington Quarters (American Women) series history.