2011-D Olympic

Denver's 2011 Olympic production reached 30,800,000 pieces, running 600,000 ahead of Philadelphia's 30,200,000 and matching the 2011 pattern of Denver mintages settling between 30 and 31 million across the first four designs. Susan Gamble's reverse, the Roosevelt elk with Mount Olympus behind, remained identical between mints; the D mintmark beside the Washington portrait on the obverse identifies the Denver striking. The park itself dates federal designation to June 29, 1938, which made 2011 a meaningful anniversary year for park supporters even without a round-number jubilee.

Strike characteristics on the Denver issue track the same grading concerns as Philadelphia. The elk antler and body fur are the grading-decisive features for MS66-versus-MS67 separation, and Denver dies during the 2011 production run held antler detail reasonably well across the print. Late-die-state pieces show tine softening first, with the mountain backdrop holding longer. The clad composition follows the standard formula (75% copper-nickel outer layers bonded to a pure copper core, 5.67 grams total, 24.26 mm diameter, reeded edge). Authentication is a non-issue for circulation-strike clad coinage, and PCGS and NGC (the two leading third-party grading services) handle the high-grade slabbed market through their normal submission channels.

As a collecting target, the 2011-D Olympic is a Regular common date with the usual premium structure: minimal value below MS67, a modest premium at MS67, and a steeper climb at MS68 where the population thins. Roll hunters in the Pacific Northwest still report occasional MS65 finds from original bank-wrapped quarters released through Portland and Seattle channels, though the yield has thinned substantially. Set builders working through the complete 56-design ATB run typically acquire the 2011 P-D Olympic pair as a tier purchase alongside the other 2011 issues, with the slight Denver mintage edge over Philadelphia carrying no meaningful price differential at any grade. For the broader story of the ATB program, the 2008 authorizing legislation, and the series' design arc, see the Washington ATB series history.