CU-10c-1943-03 Cud

Description

Third documented cud die break for the 1943 Mercury Dime, CU-10c-1943-03 records a rim fracture on Adolph A. Weinman's celebrated Winged Liberty Head design during the peak of World War II production. A cud forms when a section of the die rim separates completely, and the resulting cavity fills with silver alloy under striking pressure to create a raised featureless mass at the coin's edge. No cross-references to other attribution systems are currently known for this variety, and it is cataloged by Cuds on Coins. The 1943 Mercury Dime was struck on the standard 90% silver, 10% copper composition at a time when the Mint was simultaneously managing the unprecedented steel cent experiment for the one-cent denomination. Philadelphia produced approximately 191.71 million dimes in 1943, an enormous wartime output driven by the need for small-denomination coinage as millions of Americans entered the workforce to support the war effort. Adolph Weinman's Mercury Dime design — depicting Liberty wearing a winged cap symbolizing freedom of thought, frequently mistaken for the Roman god Mercury — ran from 1916 through 1945, and its relatively small diameter of 17.9mm meant that rim fractures produced proportionally more dramatic cuds relative to the coin's size. Die break specialists prize Mercury Dime cuds because the series combines aesthetic beauty with the collecting depth that wartime production volumes created.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Peter Lukic
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References