MS-64 1893 Isabella Quarter Dollar

These are really nice. Great pick up. Very low mintage compared to the Columbian halves.

 

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That's a beautiful example. Mine (see left) is an AU58.

 

Looks like nice edge toning on yours. Very nice.

 

Would probably be tame by today's standards. But, remember that 1892 was still very much "Victorian".

From: https://worldsfairchicago1893.com/2018/02/20/picturesque-worlds-fair-egyptian-dancing-girls-p-34/

"EGYPTIAN DANCING GIRLS.—That prominent feature of the Midway Plaisance, a Street in Cairo, had a theatre among its attractions, and what doubtless drew most visitors to this place of entertainment, was the performance of the Egyptian Dancing Girls. The illustration gives excellent portraits of the three dusky beauties who were most prominent there, and shows also the semi-Oriental costume in which they danced. Of the performance it may be said that it was something entirely new in America and something not likely to become acclimatized. Suggestive it certainly was, but to American eyes lacked even the redeeming quality of beauty, though the dancers were lithe as panthers and should have been capable of graceful movements. It resulted in a protest from the Board of Lady Managers, their course being supplemented by the action of the Director-General, who compelled the interested concessionaires to restrain all future exhibitions within the limits of stage propriety as recognized in this country. The three women whose portraits appear may be considered typical representatives of the class who for centuries have been an element in the sort of amusement favored by the Oriental rulers of the valley of the Nile. Their dancing is a profession to which they are trained from childhood though it can hardly be considered a dance so much as a contortion."



At many world fairs, there were exhibits of exotic people from around the world wearing "native costumes". Some of these were referred to as "human zoos" & had a mixed reputation of looking out for the wellbeing of the performers.

The 1933 Chicago expo has some "ladies of Paris" exonumia that was quite racy at the time. And the 1931 Paris Colonial Expo was probably the nadir of this - the 32mm tokens from there feature various cultural costumes & much of the promotional material featured Josephine Baker and her famous Banana Dance:

 

This thread inspired me to pick up an 1893 Isabella in higher grade. I haven't seen the one I bought myself nearly a decade ago after stashing it away a little too well. So, I picked one up in an Accugrade holder that I'm excited to see in hand:

 

one of my all time favorites at least as far as quarters go
Let's see I got mine here somewhere... Oh and the "Almost Dollar" as well lol