RCD-25c-2022P-01 Retained Cud

Description

Designated RCD-25c-2022P-01(WMK)-01 Stage A in the Cuds on Coins catalog, this retained cud variety was found on the 2022-P Wilma Mankiller Quarter — part of the American Women Quarters program that began in 2022 and runs through 2025, honoring pioneering American women across five designs per year. A retained cud occurs when a portion of the die rim fractures but the broken fragment remains lodged in approximate position, producing a raised displaced zone on struck coins that retains partial design detail rather than the completely smooth raised area of a full cud break. The Wilma Mankiller quarter honors the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, who served from 1985 to 1995, with a reverse design depicting her against a backdrop of the wind and Cherokee syllabary. The Stage A designation indicates this represents the earliest documented die state for this retained cud, suggesting the fracture was captured relatively early in its development and may have progressed through additional stages as the die continued in production. Philadelphia struck modern quarters using high-speed presses capable of producing hundreds of coins per minute, and the mechanical stresses generated at these production rates contribute to die rim failures. This is a notably modern retained cud — discovered on a coin from the current decade — demonstrating that die failures remain an ongoing phenomenon in 21st-century minting despite advances in die steel metallurgy and press technology. No cross-references from other attribution services have been recorded. Collectors should examine the rim area for a raised section showing the characteristic displaced design detail and traceable fracture boundary that distinguish a retained cud from post-strike damage.

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