CU-25c-1985P-04 Cud

Description

Fourth in the Cuds on Coins catalog for the 1985 Philadelphia Washington quarter, CU-25c-1985P-04 records another rim die break from a date that has proven remarkably prolific for cud varieties, with at least six documented examples. The existence of four or more cuds for a single date-mint raises questions about die quality and durability during 1985 Philadelphia quarter production: were the dies manufactured from a batch of steel with suboptimal hardness? Were the presses operating at pressures that exceeded die tolerances? Or did the year simply receive more intensive searching by error collectors, revealing a normal failure rate that goes undocumented on less-examined dates? No cross-references to other attribution catalogs have been established. Cuds on the Washington quarter's obverse obliterate portions of John Flanagan's portrait of George Washington — based on Jean-Antoine Houdon's celebrated 1785 marble bust — while reverse cuds affect the heraldic eagle design that served the quarter from 1932 through 1998. Each of the six cataloged 1985-P cuds broke at a different position around the die's rim, and the specific design elements affected vary from variety to variety, making each one a distinct collectible rather than a generic "cud on a 1985 quarter." Philadelphia's 1985 quarter production of approximately 775 million coins consumed hundreds of die pairs, and the six documented cuds represent those dies where rim fractures were severe enough to produce the characteristic raised featureless mass yet not immediately detected and replaced by Mint quality control personnel.

Attribution History

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

External References