PC-25c-2001P-01R(KY) Pre-Cud

Description

Cataloged as PC-25c-2001P-01R(KY) by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, this pre-cud documents an early-stage die fracture on the reverse of the 2001-P Kentucky State Quarter. The designation follows the standard coding system: PC for pre-cud, 25c for the quarter denomination, 2001P for the Philadelphia Mint date, 01 marking it as the first cataloged pre-cud for this issue, and R(KY) specifying the reverse of the Kentucky design. Kentucky's State Quarter reverse, designed by T. James Ferrell after a concept by the Kentucky Heritage Council, depicts the thoroughbred horse Secretariat's iconic stance behind a white plank fence with Federal Hill (the inspiration for Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home") in the background. Pre-cuds represent the earliest detectable stage in progressive die failure — the die steel has developed a hairline crack near the rim but no metal has yet separated, producing a faint raised line on struck coins that previews the path a full die break (cud) would eventually follow if the die remained in service. Philadelphia struck approximately 353.0 million Kentucky quarters in 2001, a substantial production run within the State Quarters program that consumed numerous die pairs across the mintage. The reverse design's combination of detailed equine anatomy, architectural elements, and fencing created complex stress patterns in the die steel, with the rim junction serving as a natural stress concentration point where fractures commonly initiate. Collectors examining this variety should use low-angle lighting at 10-15x magnification to trace the raised hairline from the rim into the adjacent design field, distinguishing it from die polish lines or contact marks by its consistent replication across multiple specimens struck from the same die.

Attribution History

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

External References