2010 & 2011 Clad And Silver Proof Strikes

Yes, that's normal. I see that on my clad proofs.

It's the cameo frosting the mint uses on the proofs that obscures detail. Check out the USS Cairo on the Vicksburg quarter. The uncirculated coins show the armor plating, whereas you have to look really hard on the proofs to see the plates. Sometimes I wish they would bring back the full mirror proofs.

Since proofs are struck twice, the chances of a weak strike are slim. The laser used to get the extreme contrast does significant damage to the detail of the devices. I wish the mint would return to using the same sandblasting used on uncirculated coin die for the proof devices but since that would result in reduced contrast, I doubt they will ever do that. When the laser first debuted on the 2003 National Wildlife Refuge medals, a much finer spot size was used that much more closely matched the sandblasting method and allowed far better detail to remain but I am thinking that the time needed to run at a smaller spot size increases with the inverse square of the spot size, increasing die cost. This, and the apparent fact that the mint has chosen contrast over detail, probably means that things will continue as they are.