The new 2022 quarters honoring poet Maya Angelou are now in circulation. The civil rights activist is the first Black woman displayed on the U.S. quarter.

Numismatist John Jarjoura is a professional collector at Coins & Currency of Orlando. His appreciation of the historical value of coins started when he was just a boy. 

“I’m 5, 6-years-old. I’m a youngster. I had just ordered an ice cream cone, and in my change I received back, I got my first pirate coin as I called it. A buffalo nickel and that set me on fire into the interesting world of coin collecting,” he recalls.

The dates and conditions of the coins are clues and each is a time capsule from the time it was created. Now in 2022, for the first time, a woman of color is appearing on a U.S. quarter.

“This really is the start of something fantastic in the history of the United States,” Jarjoura says.

The US Mint has started shipping the coins and they show Angelou with her arms lifted, a rising sun, and a bird in flight. Those symbolic images were inspired by her poetry. 

“It is fitting of this young lady because she did everything. She was a fighter to the end. She was a civil rights pioneer, dancer, songwriter, playwright, professor awarded many accolades,” Jarjoura says. “You can’t say enough about her.”

The new quarters aren’t just commemorative for collectors like Jarjoura. They’re out in circulation and will be seen daily. Jarjoura hopes it will get more women and people of color interested in collecting coins. 

The new coins are part of the American Women Quarters Program.