Standing Liberty Quarter (1916 – 1930) The renaissance of U.S. coinages began in the early part of the century, and ultimately included all of the circulating coins. The silver coin designers were chosen by competition through the Commission of Fine Arts and the winner for the quarter dollar was Herman MacNeil. His standing portrait of Liberty with shield and outstretched hand clutching an olive branch was originally produced with her breast exposed. This met with both praise and horror and under pressure a chain mail covering was draped across her chest in the second year of production. The Type one version with bare breast is a popular type and interesting historical artistic reach for the Mint. The Type two versions with covered breasts additionally had the reverse star arrangement changed. MacNeil’s intricate design forced various changes during the series run including a major change in the pedestal in 1925 to create a recessed date. The design proved difficult to produce in full relief. Today collector’s look for fully struck examples with full head detail and clear delineation on the shield rivets.
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