CU-1C-1968S-01 Rim Cud

Description

Designated CU-1C-1968S-01, this is the first documented cud variety for the 1968-S Lincoln Memorial cent regular business strike. A cud forms when a section of the die rim fractures and separates entirely from the die body, leaving a void that fills with planchet metal under striking pressure to produce a raised, featureless mass on the finished coin. The location of this cud along the rim provides an immediate visual diagnostic for attribution: because the fractured die fragment carries a unique outline determined by the metallurgical properties of the specific die steel and the stress distribution at the point of failure, no two cuds are ever geometrically identical. The 1968-S business strike cent was produced at the San Francisco Mint alongside the proof issue, making it the first year since 1964 that San Francisco manufactured both business strike and proof cents simultaneously. Die stress in business strike production is generally higher than in proof production because the presses operate at faster speeds and the dies are used for larger production runs, factors that accelerate the fatigue cracking that ultimately leads to rim fractures. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1968S-01 and attributed by Cuds on Coins. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc at the San Francisco Mint.

Attribution History

• CU-1C-1968S-01
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References