CU-1C-1952D-04 Cud

Description

Collectors who study die breaks across multiple dates will notice a recurring pattern in early-1950s Denver cent production: four cuds for 1951-D, four cuds for 1952-D, and the cluster only intensifies in later years. CU-1C-1952D-04, the fourth cataloged cud for this date, adds another data point to that trend. The working dies used at Denver were manufactured at Philadelphia and shipped west — a supply chain that meant any systemic issue in die steel quality or heat treatment could affect an entire production run at the receiving mint. Whether the 1952-D cluster reflects a die-steel batch problem or simply the statistical inevitability of high-volume production remains an open question, but the documented evidence is clear: four distinct dies fractured at the rim badly enough to produce collectible cud errors. Each cud's value to the error collector lies in its position on the coin, the extent of design disruption, and the sharpness of the break edge. Early-state cuds, struck immediately after the fracture, show crisp boundaries between the raised blank area and the surviving design, while late-state examples may blur as the fractured die continues to deteriorate.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• CU-1C-1952D-04
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References