2016-W 1/4 oz American Gold Standing Liberty Quarter Coin (Box + CoA)

Hermons Atkins MacNeil created the Standing Liberty Quarter design in 1916 to replace the design from Charles E. Barber, the US Mint Chief Engraver at the time. Barber’s designs originated in 1892, and Congress had authorized the US Mint to change the designs, though there was no forceable mandate to do so.

MacNeil’s depiction of Liberty generated some criticism and changes from the US Mint. His depiction of a full-length Liberty guarding the gap in a wall was admired for its indicative representation of the nation’s readiness to defend itself. However, MacNeil’s LIberty was bare-chested, and the US Mint eventually changed the design to include a chain-mail breast plate for Liberty.

The reverse side of the 2016 1/4 oz American Gold Standing Liberty coin features the American bald eagle in flight, moving from left to right in the coin’s design field. Engravings are the same as the original coins on both sides, with the addition of a “W” mint mark from the West Point Mint and the coin’s weight, purity, and metal content.