CU-25c-1993P-04 Rim Cud

Description

The fourth documented rim cud for the 1993-P Washington quarter, CU-25c-1993P-04 was cataloged by Cuds on Coins with a notable reverse die crack described in the original submission as the "black arrow" feature. This secondary die crack provides an additional diagnostic beyond the cud itself, marking this as a die that was experiencing multiple failure modes simultaneously. When a die develops both a rim cud and internal cracking, it signals advanced fatigue across the entire die body rather than a localized fracture event. The Washington quarter in its traditional eagle reverse design, used from 1932 through 1998 before the State Quarters program replaced it, features John Flanagan's heraldic eagle that had become one of the most familiar images in American pocket change. The 1993-P Washington quarter had a mintage of 639.3 million pieces, and the production volume at Philadelphia that year demanded heavy die usage. Each die in the production sequence was expected to produce coins until it showed signs of failure, and the progression from internal cracking to rim fracture represents the terminal phase of a die's working life. Cud collectors value pieces where additional die deterioration features are documented because they tell a more complete story of the die's failure progression. The "black arrow" die crack on the reverse, combined with the rim cud, makes CU-25c-1993P-04 more than a simple die break specimen; it becomes a study piece illustrating how die fatigue manifests through multiple, concurrent failure mechanisms that eventually render the die unusable.

Attribution History

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

External References