01
The light
The compact tower stands above the coast.
Acadia
National Park
A light at the Atlantic edge.
Bass Harbor Head Light joins a working coastal landmark to Maine’s granite shore.
Read the reverse ⟶
DenominationQuarter dollar
Weight5 troy ounces
Fineness99.9% silver
Diameter76.2 mm
Mint markNone · bullion
IssuerUnited States Mint
The illustrated edition
Illustrated: P-mint-mark five-ounce uncirculated edition. The standard bullion edition has no mint mark.
Official U.S. Mint gallery ↗Reverse design anatomy
Light, rock,
and ocean.
The reverse combines Bass Harbor Head Light with the rocky coastline. The lighthouse rises above angular rock forms while trees close the landward edge.
The following close reading describes visible forms. It does not assign undocumented intentions to the artists.
02
The granite
Angular forms occupy the foreground.
03
The trees
Dark textured trees mark the inland boundary.
The place behind the coin
A coast of
navigation and stone.
Built in 1858, Bass Harbor Head Light Station marks the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay at the southwestern corner of Mount Desert Island.
The light station connects Acadia’s protected landscape to Maine’s maritime history. Granite ledges, trees, and Atlantic water locate the landmark within a working coast.
- 1858Light station built
- Mount Desert IslandLocation
- AtlanticMaritime setting
Synthetic context · not the artist’s source view.
Same design. A larger canvas.
From pocket change
to a statement in silver
The 2012 design also belongs to the circulating quarter. At 76.2 mm, the five-ounce silver coin is 3.14 times wider by diameter—not 3.14 times heavier.
The quarter is a measured outline: an exact authorized quarter photograph is not bound for this page. It is not a miniature bullion image.
Collect with context
Know the design.
Know the object.
Reverse design: Barbara Fox. Sculptor: Joseph Menna. Obverse: John Flanagan.
- Standard bullion
- No mint mark · Authorized Purchasers · incuse edge weight and fineness.
- Collector five-ounce
- P mint mark · special finish · a separate object. Collector totals are not bullion mintages.