25 Cents - Elizabeth II Bermuda Longtail

The Bermuda Monetary Authority has issued commemorative 25-cent pieces well above the denomination's typical heft since the 1980s, producing collector-oriented strikes rather than circulation pieces. At 28.28 grams in copper-nickel, this is clearly not pocket change — it mirrors the planchet spec used across dozens of Commonwealth commemorative issues, a cost-effective choice that allowed the BMA to issue without retooling.

The white-tailed tropicbird, locally called the longtail, is a seasonal visitor whose spring arrival has marked the end of winter for Bermudians for centuries.