01
The granite face
Long lines emphasize the steep rock face.
Yosemite
National Park
A wall of granite, measured by trees.
El Capitan is the dominant mass on California’s reverse. Smaller trees and a fallen trunk draw the immense cliff into the scale of a coin.
Read the reverse ⟶DenominationQuarter dollar
Weight5 troy ounces
Fineness99.9% silver
Diameter76.2 mm
Mint markNone · bullion
IssuerUnited States Mint
Reverse design anatomy
Mass, texture
and open space
El Capitan rises behind trees in the reverse design. Its long vertical grooves contrast with the diagonal fallen trunk below; these are visible compositional relationships, not claims about geological measurements.
The following close reading describes visible forms. It does not assign undocumented intentions to the artists.
02
The trees
The trees form a smaller, repeated rhythm beneath the cliff.
03
The fallen trunk
A diagonal trunk crosses the foreground.
The place behind the coin
A landscape,
not an empty backdrop
The national park dates to 1890. That designation is one point in Yosemite’s history, not the beginning of human connection to the valley.
NPS interpretation links natural features with long human occupation, cultural encounters, conflict and preservation. The coin’s geology-led composition is a focused view of that broader place.
- 1890National park established
- 2010Third program design
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 2010 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 designer Joseph Menna · reverse sculptor 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.