CU-10c-1942S-01R Cud

Description

First documented cud on the reverse of a 1942 San Francisco Mint Mercury Dime, this variety was cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no cross-references to other attribution services currently known. The R suffix designates this as a reverse cud, distinguishing it from obverse cuds that might be documented separately. A cud forms when a section of the die rim fractures and the broken piece separates, leaving a cavity that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised featureless mass at the coin's edge. The 1942-S Mercury Dime was struck during World War II at the San Francisco Mint, which was operating at wartime production levels to meet the demands of a rapidly mobilizing economy. The Mercury Dime series (1916-1945), designed by Adolph A. Weinman, features the Winged Liberty Head on the obverse and a fasces with olive branch on the reverse — a design considered one of the most artistically accomplished in U.S. coinage history. San Francisco struck over 49 million dimes in 1942, and the mechanical stresses of high-volume wartime production pushed dies toward their fatigue limits, creating the conditions for rim fractures. Finding a cud on a silver 90% composition Mercury Dime adds collector interest because the pre-1965 silver content gives the host coin intrinsic value beyond its numismatic die variety premium.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fantasticcoinsandmore on ebay
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References