CU-1c-1982-35A(SD) Cud

Description

Designated with the "A" suffix to indicate an earlier die state, CU-1c-1982-35A(SD) on the Bronze Small Date at 3.1 grams represents the first documented stage of a progressive die fracture that eventually deteriorated enough to warrant a separate catalog entry under the "B" designation. Die state splits like the 35A/35B pairing capture the dynamic nature of die failure — a rim crack does not appear instantaneously at its final size but instead initiates as a small fissure that grows incrementally with each successive strike, the detached die fragment loosening and shifting as the crack deepens through the hardened steel. Coins struck during the earlier phase of this progression, when the fracture was smaller and the detached fragment still relatively stable, receive the "A" designation, while specimens from the later phase — when continued use had driven the crack deeper and enlarged the resulting cud — are cataloged under "B." On the Bronze Small Date planchet, this earlier-state cud presents a smaller or less pronounced featureless area than its B-state counterpart will show, and the fracture boundary may appear sharper and more defined because the die fragment had not yet shifted significantly from its original position. The bronze composition's solid 95% copper alloy fills this early-state void with homogeneous metal. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References