01
The wing
Layered flight feathers sweep down through the central field.
Block Island
National Wildlife Refuge
A wing crosses the coast.
A black-crowned night-heron dominates the sky above a small lighthouse and curving shore. The refuge is read through a bird’s presence, not a panorama alone.
Read the reverse ⟶DenominationQuarter dollar
Weight5 troy ounces
Fineness99.9% silver
Diameter76.2 mm
Mint markNone · bullion
IssuerUnited States Mint
Reverse design anatomy
One bird,
three spatial layers
The Mint identifies a black-crowned night-heron above Cow Cove, looking toward Sandy Point, with North Light behind. Those place and species names come from the source, not guesswork from the raster.
The following close reading describes visible forms. It does not assign undocumented intentions to the artists.
02
North Light
The small lighthouse remains readable beside the larger bird.
03
The shore
Curved waves and the stony beach separate foreground from the distant point.
The place behind the coin
A stopping place
within a longer journey
USFWS describes Block Island as an important Atlantic migratory stopover, especially for songbirds. The refuge was established in 1973. This habitat context does not prove the migration route or behavior of the particular heron shown.
Area figures differ: the Mint records 133 acres and the current USFWS account gives 134. No single acreage is presented as settled here. The visual reading stays with the bird, shore and refuge function.
- 1973Refuge established
- AtlanticMigratory stopover context
- 2018Issue #45
Historical context, not a reconstruction. No unverified event photograph is used.
Same design. A larger canvas.
From pocket change
to a statement in silver
The 2018 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: Chris Costello; sculpt: Phebe Hemphill.
- 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.