SHD-100c-1921P-01 & 02R Shattered Die

Description

Far beyond a simple crack or even a retained cud, a shattered die represents the terminal stage of die failure — a condition where multiple intersecting cracks have fragmented the die face into a web of fractured segments. Cataloged as SHD-100c-1921P-01 & 02R by Cuds on Coins, this entry documents both the obverse (01) and reverse (02R) shattered die conditions on a 1921 Philadelphia Morgan dollar. George T. Morgan's silver dollar design returned to production in 1921 after a thirteen-year hiatus following the final 1904 production, and the Philadelphia Mint struck approximately 44.69 million Morgan dollars that year — the highest single-year mintage in the series — using hastily prepared dies to meet enormous demand for silver dollar coinage mandated by the Pittman Act of 1918. The frantic production pace of 1921 pushed dies to their absolute limits, and the shattered die condition documented here shows what happens when a die is kept in service well past the point where normal protocol would dictate its retirement. On a shattered die coin, the network of raised crack lines covers large portions of the design surface, creating an irregular grid pattern that can partially obscure design details. The dual designation — 01 for the obverse and 02R for the reverse — indicates that both dies in this marriage reached terminal failure, a relatively uncommon circumstance since typically one die fails catastrophically before the other. The 100c denomination code in the catalog system represents the silver dollar. Collectors examining specimens should expect to see extensive raised crack networks covering substantial portions of both the Liberty head obverse and the eagle reverse, with the cracks forming interconnected patterns rather than isolated single lines.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jim Ussery
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References