01
Rock and opening
A tall void separates the supporting rock forms. The window shows shape, not a measured geological section.
Pictured Rocks
National Lakeshore
A crown of pine. A column of stone.
A narrow opening divides the rock below a spreading tree. Read the shoreline through this contrast of solid mass and open space.
Read the reverse ⟶DenominationQuarter dollar
Weight5 troy ounces
Fineness99.9% silver
Diameter76.2 mm
Mint markNone · bullion
IssuerUnited States Mint
Reverse design anatomy
A shoreline
held in relief
The Mint identifies Chapel Rock and the white pine growing on top. Horizontal ridges describe the rock while slender branches extend into a broad untextured field.
The following close reading describes visible forms. It does not assign undocumented intentions to the artists.
02
White pine
The branching crown rests above the rock. The species name comes from the Mint, not from a botanical diagnosis of the engraving.
03
Lake edge
Fine horizontal lines continue behind the rock, keeping the water separate from its heavily textured base.
The place behind the coin
Shaped shore.
Two establishment milestones.
NPS describes sandstone cliffs whose mineral stains result from water moving through the rock. Waves, wind and ice shape this Lake Superior shore; the silver image does not reproduce the cliffs’ colors.
The Mint uses 1966 as the establishment year. NPS management distinguishes congressional authorization on October 15, 1966 from formal establishment on October 6, 1972. Its Geodiversity Atlas instead prints October 5, 1972; that one-day discrepancy is not resolved here.
- 1966Congressional authorization · NPS
- 1972Formal establishment · NPS; day differs between pages
- 2018Issue #41
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: Paul C. Balan; 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.