Quarters are usually worth 25 cents. But quarters featuring the Queen of Salsa? In Miami, those are priceless.
Longtime fans and local businesses have been racing to get their hands on new quarters embossed with a portrait Celia Cruz, the iconic late salsa singer. Cruz, the first Afro-Latina on U.S. currency, was one of five historic female figures selected for the U.S. Mint鈥檚 2024 American Women Quarters Program. The coins were designed by Mint artist Phebe Hemphill who said she wanted them to capture Cruz鈥檚 鈥済reatness and vitality.鈥�
Though the coins are now in circulation this month, you鈥檇 be hard pressed finding a Miamian willing to spend these quarters at a laundromat, ventanita or gumball machine.
鈥淭hese are keepers,鈥� said Elena Santayana at Santayana Jewelry, a family-owned Miami jewelry store that specializes in Cuban-themed charms and mounting silver Cuban coin pendants. 鈥淓verybody鈥檚 talking about it. It鈥檚 exciting for our town, exciting for our culture.鈥�
Born 脷rsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso in Cuba in 1925, Cruz became one of the most celebrated Latin singers of the 20th century, known for her booming vocals, colorful wigs, beaming smile and signature catchphrase: 鈥溌z煤car!鈥�
Cruz鈥檚 career took off in the 1950s as the singer for the band La Sonora Matancera, but she was exiled from her home country when Fidel Castro took power. She became an American citizen, settled in New Jersey and remade herself as a solo act in New York鈥檚 burgeoning Latin music scene, working with artists like Tito Puente. Throughout her long career, she recorded 75 albums, won the National Medal of Arts and received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy.
Her hit songs 鈥� from 鈥淕uantanamera鈥� and 鈥淨uimbara鈥� to 鈥淟a Negra Tiene Tumbao鈥� and 鈥淟a vida es un carnaval鈥� 鈥� are played in Miami鈥檚 salsa clubs, family parties and radio stations to this day. Cruz is royalty to Miami鈥檚 Cuban community, who turned out in droves for her funeral at the Freedom Tower in 2003 after her death at 77.
That鈥檚 why some businesses are stocking up on the coins, not as spare change but as mementos.
Elena Santayana, the jewelry store鈥檚 Creative and Content Officer, wanted the coins as shiny as possible to turn them into pendants. She ordered 110 Cruz coins 鈥� 100 normal quarters and 10 silver coins 鈥� fresh from the U.S. Mint as soon as she could.
Besides the sentimental value, the quarters are technically worth more than 25 cents. One bag of 100 quarters costs $45 to order from U.S. Mint website.
When Elena posted a photo of her brand new rolls of coins on Instagram, she immediately got calls and messages from customers asking if she was going to mount them for jewelry.
鈥淭hey trust us 100%,鈥� Elena said. 鈥淭hey said, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know what you鈥檙e making, but I want it.鈥欌��
The store is producing special mounts to perfectly fit the quarters. Once the pendants are ready for purchase next week, they鈥檒l go for about $250, Elena said.
Elena鈥檚 mother, Marisa Santayana, 80, inspected the details of Celia鈥檚 signature outfit on the coin with her jeweler鈥檚 loupe. 鈥淥h my God. This is incredible,鈥� she said in Spanish. 鈥淭he earrings, the clothes.鈥�
People are sure to keep these as good luck tokens, Marisa said.
For Elena, Celia Cruz represents her childhood; she remembers watching her parents dance to her music at house parties. She鈥檚 keeping a silver coin for herself.
鈥淎part from just loving Celia Cruz and her being part of our culture, it鈥檚 how much we love our own culture,鈥� Elena said. 鈥淓ven though we are second generation, third generation, we still remember her.鈥�
Revolve Group, a South Florida marketing agency, was also quick order the quarters to gift to its clients as a sweet surprise. Cuban-born co-founder Mabel De Beunza said she hopes people keep the coins as lucky charms or use them to scratch off 鈥渞aspadito鈥� lottery tickets.
鈥淚t鈥檚 my hope that each time someone reaches into their pocket and feels this quarter, they鈥檙e reminded of their own capacity to bring light and rhythm to the world around them,鈥� she said.
Over at the Latin Cafe 2000, a Cuban restaurant with several Miami locations, cafecitos come with extra 鈥渁z煤car.鈥� Starting this week, customers who spend $50 on a meal in cash will get a Celia Cruz quarter with their change.
Owner Eric Castellanos got 1,000 quarters for now and is ordering more, he said. He was hoping to keep the quarter special going at all of the Latin Cafe locations until Cruz鈥檚 birthday on Oct. 21, but the coins are a hot commodity and may not last that long.
鈥淲e wanted to give a little 鈥榓z煤car鈥� to all of our customers,鈥� Castellanos said. 鈥淭he idea is they come here, they get not only a memorable experience eating a taste of Cuba, but they get a memorable experience when they check out and they get a little a token of appreciation from us. It鈥檚 a piece of culture.鈥�
Castellanos gave one token of appreciation to delivery driver Gilberto Fajardo, 69, a lifelong Celia Cruz fan, as he sat at the restaurant counter. When asked if he would ever spend the coin, Fajardo didn鈥檛 hesitate: Absolutely not.
鈥淭his is a memento for my whole life. This can鈥檛 be given away,鈥� he said in Spanish as he held up the coin. 鈥淭he value of this is incomparable.鈥�
Celia Cruz鈥檚 image on American currency is not just a great honor for her legacy, but also for the Cuban community, Fajardo said.
鈥淪he deserves it because she was fantastic. She was an artist in every sense of the word,鈥� Fajardo said. 鈥淐elia is Celia. Our star.鈥�
This story was produced , in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
