The new Juliette Gordon Low Quarter was released at a ceremony in Washington DC on March 26, 2025.
I attended the event at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. As the crowd was very large and I am very short, I am shamelessly borrowing photos from friends Margaret Seiler and Penelope Reardanz.
Honoring the woman who created the Girl Scouts in 1912, the JGL quarter is the 17th in a 20-part series of commemorative American Women Quarters that began to be issued in 2022. According to the US Mint. This coin is part of
the final annual release in the four-year series that celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women who have shaped our Nation’s history and helped pave the way for future generations.
Other honorees include astronaut Sally Ride, Native American leader Wilma Mankiller, athlete Wilma Rudolph, and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells.
Commemorative Girl Scout Coins
The JGL quarter is the first Girl Scout-themed coin to be in regular circulation, but it is not the first Girl Scout coin. Previous ones were aimed at collectors.
Golden Anniversary: 1962
I thought this section would be straightforward, but I was mistaken.
I found this coin from 1962 on eBay and assumed it was connected with the 50th anniversary of Girl Scouts. However, it is not listed in the old Girl Scout Collector’s Guide, meaning it was not an authorized product.
Furthermore, the coin is apparently a “so-called dollar,” which I had to look up.
So-Called Dollars are medals approximately the size of a silver dollar that were struck to commemorate a U.S. historical event.
Some so-called dollars are issued by the US Mint, others by private groups. I need more info on this coin.
Franklin Mint: 1977
The Franklin Mint collectibles company issued a set of 12 medallions based on the Girl Scout Laws in 1977. The set came in 24k gold, sterling silver, and bronze and featured Norman Rockwell illustrations. Although they look like coins, the set technically are medallions, with no assigned currency value.
Centennial: 2012
The commemorative silver dollar released for the 100th birthday of Girl Scouts came in traditional packaging as well as a special youth kit, intended to encourage new coin collectors.
The Girl Scout Centennial Commemorative Coin Act authorized the US Mint to produce up to 350,000 of the silver dollars. They were sold for $11, with the extra $10 earmarked for Girl Scout programs. However, only 123,817 coins were actually purchased, an amount insufficient to cover basic costs, so the Girl Scouts received none of the $10 surcharges.
Coin Week explained the unusual situation:
The reason is that sales of the coins, which only reached about a third of the congressionally-authorized maximum mintage, or 123,814 out of 350,000 (as of January 5 unaudited data), were insufficient to cover program costs. By the law organizations cannot receive funds from the sales of commemoratives unless all costs associated with the coin program are first covered. In this case, that meant forfeiting $1.23 million dollars as each proof and uncirculated coin comes with a $10 surcharge. This was the first time that has happened.
The magazine suggested that the coin might have been more popular if the Girl Scouts had coin collecting badges.
Commemorative Girl Scout Stamps
Since the event was at the Postal Museum, I should mention commemorative Girl Scout stamps as well.
There have been five in total. Four in this nice graphic:
and a fifth stamp from 1998.
Everyone who attended the event received a free Juliette Gordon Low quarter.
© 2025 Ann Robertson, writer, editor, Girl Scout historian, but NOT a Girl Scout employee.
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