CU-25c-1993P-03 Rim Cud

Description

Third documented rim cud for the 1993 Philadelphia Mint Washington Quarter, this variety records a major die break at the coin's edge where a section of the hardened steel die fractured and separated, leaving a cavity in the die face. When the damaged die continued to strike planchets, the area formerly covered by the missing die fragment produced a raised, featureless blob of metal — the cud — at the rim of each coin, obliterating whatever design element previously occupied that location. The Cuds on Coins research team cataloged this variety under the systematic designation CU-25c-1993P-03, following the standardized nomenclature that identifies the error type, denomination, date, mintmark, and sequence number. The Washington Quarter series, designed by John Flanagan and produced in clad composition since 1965, experienced consistent die breakage throughout its long production run due to the high-volume coining operations at Philadelphia. By 1993 the Philadelphia Mint was operating modern high-speed presses capable of striking hundreds of coins per minute, and the repeated impact of die against planchet at these production rates accelerates fatigue cracking at stress concentration points along the die rim. Rim cuds vary in size from small chips covering a few degrees of the rim arc to massive breaks obliterating entire sections of the design, and the three documented cuds for the 1993-P date suggest this particular year saw notable die fragmentation events.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References