01
Raised weapon
An arm and long gun cross the upper field, above the waterline.
George Rogers Clark
National Historical Park
The approach, not the surrender.
Three men wade with weapons held above the water. The coin focuses on movement through flooded ground before the capture of Fort Sackville.
Read the reverse ⟶DenominationQuarter dollar
Weight5 troy ounces
Fineness99.9% silver
Diameter76.2 mm
Mint markNone · bullion
IssuerUnited States Mint
Reverse design anatomy
A line of figures
against the flood
The Mint identifies Clark leading his men across flooded plains toward Fort Sackville. The image does not depict a surrender ceremony or name every accompanying soldier.
The following close reading describes visible forms. It does not assign undocumented intentions to the artists.
02
Overlapping figures
The three figures form a close group rather than an isolated commander portrait.
03
Floodwater
Short ripples surround the lower bodies; the ground is not shown as a dry marching road.
The place behind the coin
February 1779:
movement before victory
NPS records the February march through floodwaters and the British surrender of Fort Sackville on 25 February 1779. French residents of the Illinois country assisted Clark’s force.
That chronology explains the physical difficulty emphasized on the reverse. It does not justify treating the region as empty land, identifying unnamed figures, or presenting a later commemorative image as an eyewitness record.
- 5 FebMarch begins · 1779
- 25 FebFort Sackville surrenders · 1779
- 2017Issue #40
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 2017 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: Frank Morris; sculpt: Michael Gaudioso.
- 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.