CU-25c-2005P-16R(WV) Cud

Description

Sixteenth documented reverse cud for the 2005 Philadelphia Mint West Virginia State Quarter, this variety preserves a major die break where a section of the reverse die rim fractured and broke away, creating the raised featureless mass at the coin's edge that defines a cud error. The high sequence number (-16R) indicates that the West Virginia quarter reverse was particularly prone to die failures, likely reflecting the design's complexity and the stress it placed on die steel during high-speed production. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this cud is one of the most extensively documented State Quarter issues in the cud error specialty. The West Virginia State Quarter, released in 2005 as part of the fifty-state series, features a reverse design depicting the New River Gorge Bridge — at 876 feet, the longest steel span in the Western Hemisphere. The intricate bridge design with its detailed arch and surrounding mountain landscape may have created stress concentration points in the die that contributed to the high frequency of rim failures. The "(WV)" designation distinguishes this from cuds on other 2005 quarter issues, which included California, Minnesota, Oregon, and Kansas. Sixteen documented cuds on the reverse of a single date, mint, and design is a notably high count, reflecting both the design's susceptibility to die failure and the enthusiasm of State Quarter error collectors who systematically examined production output during the program's peak popularity years.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Steven Bernatowicz
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References