PC-100c-1921D-02R Pre-Cud

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins as PC-100c-1921D-02R, this pre-cud variety was discovered on a 1921-D Morgan dollar struck at the Denver Mint. The 1921 Morgan dollar represents the final year of the series, produced after a 17-year hiatus during which no Morgan dollars were struck. Denver produced 20,345,000 Morgan dollars in 1921, making it one of the highest-mintage Morgan dollar issues. Each coin was struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. A pre-cud represents the penultimate stage of progressive die failure at the rim, where internal cracking has developed within the die body but the fractured section has not yet fully separated. On struck coins, pre-cuds appear as raised lines or ridges along the rim area, marking the boundary where the die will eventually break completely to form a full cud. The "02R" designation indicates this is the second reverse pre-cud cataloged for the 1921-D date. The Cuds on Coins reference notes that no cross-reference to other attribution systems has been established for this variety. The cataloging note references M$C file numbers from the Thurman and Margolis Cud Book, the standard reference work for die breaks and cuds on Morgan dollars. The 1921 Denver Morgan dollars were struck from newly prepared dies using the original Morgan dollar hubs, and the large production volume meant that dies were pushed to their limits, creating conditions favorable for the rim fracturing that produces pre-cuds and eventual full cud breaks. George T. Morgan's heraldic eagle reverse, with its detailed feather work and inscription elements, provides the design context surrounding this rim-area die failure on the reverse of this final-year Denver Mint Morgan dollar.

Attribution History

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

External References