1976 (D) Washington Quarter - CU-25c-1976D-05R Cud

Description

Jack Akers's Colonial Drummer reverse design, created exclusively for the 1776-1976 Bicentennial quarter, provides the backdrop for this fifth cataloged reverse cud on the Denver Mint issue. The Bicentennial quarter was produced in massive quantities across 1975 and 1976 — all dual-dated 1776-1976 regardless of actual striking year — to commemorate the nation's two hundredth anniversary. A cud forms when a section of the die rim fractures and separates entirely, leaving a cavity that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised featureless mass at the coin's edge. Denver's enormous Bicentennial output required hundreds of die pairs pushed through extended production runs, and the accumulated stress of high-speed striking inevitably produced rim fractures on some dies before retirement. The Colonial Drummer design, depicting a Revolutionary War-era drummer boy with a victory torch and thirteen stars, appeared on no other quarter, making cuds on this reverse type inherently tied to a single commemorative moment.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 09/01/2013.

External References