CU-10c-1966-01 Cud

Description

Among the earliest clad Roosevelt dime cuds documented, CU-10c-1966-01 records a rim die break on a coin from the second year of copper-nickel clad dime production. Cross-referenced as RDC-66-3 in the Roosevelt Dime Cuds registry, this variety has independent verification confirming the attribution. The 1966 Roosevelt dime holds a unique place in numismatic history: it was struck without a mintmark regardless of production facility, following the Mint's decision to omit mintmarks on all coins from 1965 through 1967 in an effort to discourage hoarding during the severe coin shortage that had prompted the switch from silver to clad composition. Consequently, the 1966 dime carries no letter beneath the torch on the reverse, and distinguishing Philadelphia production from Denver production is impossible without provenance documentation. Total dime production across both facilities in 1966 exceeded 1.38 billion pieces, an enormous output driven by the need to replenish circulation channels that had been depleted by silver-content hoarding. The switch to clad composition changed the die wear profile significantly: the harder copper-nickel clad planchets imposed different stress patterns on dies compared to the softer 90% silver planchets used through 1964, and the Mint was still calibrating optimal striking pressures and die life expectations for the new composition. CU-10c-1966-01 may represent one of the casualties of that transition, where dies optimized for silver striking parameters experienced premature failure under the harsher demands of the clad alloy. John R. Sinnock's Roosevelt obverse and torch reverse design, introduced in 1946, transitioned seamlessly into the clad era.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Cross reference number: RDC-66-3.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References