01
Young Roosevelt
Hat, spectacles and facial hair distinguish the named figure in the Mint description.
Theodore Roosevelt
National Park
Before the presidency, a rider in the Badlands.
Young Roosevelt and his horse fill the foreground. A river bend behind them makes this a portrait situated in a landscape, not a presidential emblem.
Read the reverse ⟶DenominationQuarter dollar
Weight5 troy ounces
Fineness99.9% silver
Diameter76.2 mm
Mint markNone · bullion
IssuerUnited States Mint
Reverse design anatomy
Portrait and terrain
share the field
The Mint identifies Roosevelt surveying terrain near the Little Missouri River. The lowered horse’s head and the broad river curve give the close figure a spacious setting.
The following close reading describes visible forms. It does not assign undocumented intentions to the artists.
02
The river bend
A smooth curved channel contrasts with the textured banks.
03
The horse
The lowered head and long rein curve occupy much of the foreground.
The place behind the coin
Experience first.
Commemoration later.
NPS dates Roosevelt’s first Badlands visit to 1883 and connects his experiences there with his later conservation work. The design does not document an exact ride or moment of inspiration.
Dates require care: the Mint gives 1946 as national-site establishment. NPS distinguishes a national wildlife refuge in 1946 from the National Memorial Park created in 1947. These are separate administrative stages, not interchangeable park founding dates.
- 1883First Badlands visit
- 1946National wildlife refuge
- 1947National Memorial Park
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 2016 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: Joel Iskowitz; 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.