2010-P Yosemite

Yosemite landed third in the 2010 ATB sequence, released into circulation on July 26, 2010 and tied to the 120th anniversary of the park's October 1, 1890 federal designation. Joseph Menna's reverse focuses on El Capitan, the 3,000-foot granite monolith on the north side of Yosemite Valley, with the rock face occupying the entire right two-thirds of the field. Philadelphia struck 34,800,000 pieces, a midrange figure for the 2010 cycle and the second-highest P-mint output of the launch year. The single-feature composition (no human figures, no wildlife, just rock) made Menna's design one of the most striking in the early ATB run and a frequent pick for "favorite design" polling among collectors.

Strike quality on the issue concentrates grader attention at one spot: the texture and shadow detail on the El Capitan face. Weakly struck examples show flattened relief across the upper third of the granite, while crisp examples preserve the dimensional sense that Menna built into the design. Die-state variation runs significant, with late-die-state pieces showing softer detail on the rock face but cleaner fields. The clad composition is standard (75% copper-nickel over pure copper, 5.67 grams, 24.26 mm diameter), and PCGS (the Professional Coin Grading Service) and NGC handle the slabbed market for the design. Roll hunting remains a viable path to MS65 examples for collectors willing to search original bank-wrapped quarters from western Federal Reserve releases.

The 2010-P Yosemite reads as a Regular common date for circulated and lower Mint State grades, with premiums building from MS67 upward. The population thins meaningfully at MS68, where the issue functions as a condition rarity. Among the five 2010 designs, the Yosemite reverse is a perennial favorite for type collectors who own one quarter from each year of the ATB program, often selecting Yosemite to represent 2010 on aesthetic grounds. For the broader story of the ATB program, the 2008 authorizing legislation, and the series' design arc, see the Washington ATB series history.