1964 D Cracked Penny

Very interesting error coin. It looks like a Cud. And very nice photos.

Basically a small part of the die broke off on the edge.

Most coins that look like this are afflicted with post-strike damage. A thin apron of metal is relocated from the rim and edge to a position on top of the peripheral letters. The foil-thin metal gradually molds itself to the underlying letters. It does appear that the internal margin of the apron sits above the surface of the coin. That would be consistent with my conjecture.

Occaisionally a planchet is damaged in such a way as to produce a similar apron before the strike. I've seen two examples of this form of pre-strike damage. Ultimately, it will take a close examination under a microscope to determine whether the apron is pre-strike or post-strike.

I found a nickel with an apron like that but less dramatic. At first I thought it was a Cud, but closer examination showed that the metal could actually be pried up. I couldn't tell if it was damage or some sort of extreme wire rim because the coin was pretty beat up. I've seen Dryer Coins like that too.

It looks like the apron was pried up and broke off over WE. Since WE is not blurred (as would be the case with a struck-through error), this would seem to confirm the status of this defect as post-strike damage.