CU-1C-1971D-05 Rim Cud

Description

Designated CU-1C-1971D-05 in the Cuds on Coins catalog and specifically classified as a rim cud, this variety on the 1971-D Lincoln Memorial cent records a shallow die break confined primarily to the rim zone rather than penetrating deeply into the design field. Rim cuds represent the earliest stage of peripheral die failure — a relatively small fragment separates from the die's outermost edge, where compressive forces concentrate during each strike as the die simultaneously forms the coin's raised rim and restrains the outward flow of metal. The resulting raised area on struck coins is more subtle than a full interior cud: it typically manifests as a modest featureless bump along a short arc of the rim rather than the dramatic blob that characterizes major cuds extending into the portrait or inscriptions. The numbering gap between CU-1C-1971D-02 and CU-1C-1971D-05 implies that cuds numbered 03 and 04 exist within the catalog, placing this rim cud in context among at least five documented die break events from Denver's 1971 cent production. Rim cuds occupy an interesting position in die break collecting: their subtlety makes them easier to overlook during casual examination of circulated coins, potentially leaving undiscovered specimens in quantities that more dramatic cuds would not enjoy. Cherry-pickers who train themselves to inspect the rim perimeter carefully, looking for short segments of irregular raised metal that disrupt the normally uniform rim edge, can find rim cuds that have passed unnoticed through decades of handling and sorting.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Tanner Scott
• CU-1C-1971D-05
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References