CU-1C-1971D-06 Cud

Description

Sixth in the Cuds on Coins catalog for the 1971-D Lincoln Memorial cent, CU-1C-1971D-06 documents another major die break from Denver's enormous 1971 cent production. With at least six cataloged cuds (and a rim cud at CU-05), the 1971-D date has accumulated a significant roster of documented die fractures — a count that correlates with the sheer number of working dies consumed during the production of nearly three billion coins. Die steel, despite being specially hardened and tempered for coinage service, remains subject to fatigue failure under the repeated impact loading of high-speed production presses. Cracks initiate at stress concentration points — typically along the rim where geometric transitions focus striking forces — and propagate through the die until a fragment separates. CU-1C-1971D-06's specific break profile distinguishes it from the five preceding entries: no two cuds share the same angular position, fracture boundary, and penetration depth, ensuring each one constitutes a unique die-failure event traceable to a single parent die. The practical significance for collectors is that every coin bearing CU-1C-1971D-06's specific raised mass originated from one particular working die during a narrow window of its service life — the period between the fracture event and the die's eventual retirement from the press. For the 1971-D date, whose high mintage means survivors are readily available in circulated grades, cud varieties provide a collecting structure that transforms a common-date coin into a targeted variety hunt.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Marvin L
• CU-1C-1971D-06
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References