CU-1C-1925D-03R Cud

Description

Third cataloged rim cud for the 1925 Denver cent, CU-1C-1925D-03R represents a die that fractured independently from the 01R and prior entries. Three cuds from a single date-and-mint indicate that die stress was not an isolated incident but a recurring pattern across multiple working dies in the 1925-D production run. Denver Mint operations during the mid-1920s balanced output requirements against die availability, and the economics of coinage production sometimes favored continuing to use a die showing early signs of cracking rather than pulling it from service immediately. A fine rim crack visible on struck coins warned that the die was approaching structural failure, but such cracks could remain stable through thousands of additional impressions before progressing to full separation. The decision of when to retire a cracking die was a practical judgment made by press operators and supervisors, and CU-1C-1925D-03R tells us that at least one more 1925-D die passed through the cracking stage into actual rim separation, producing coins bearing the characteristic raised mass where the broken fragment no longer imparted the design.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Keith Christenson
• CU-1C-1925D-03R
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References