1971 (D) Lincoln Memorial Cent - RCD-1c-1971D-01 Retained Cud

Description

Cataloged as RCD-1c-1971D-01, this retained cud on the 1971-D Lincoln Memorial cent documents a die failure mechanically related to — but visually distinct from — the standard cuds cataloged under the CU prefix for this date. A retained cud occurs when the die steel fractures at the rim in the same manner as a conventional cud, but the broken fragment, though fully free of the die body, is held in place rather than falling out. Instead, it is held loosely in place, shifting slightly with each strike to produce a raised area on the coin, design intact, that differs in character from both the smooth blob of a full cud and the undisturbed surface of an intact die. Coins struck from a retained cud die often show a slightly raised, irregularly textured zone where the loose fragment transferred its impression — the design still present but often set higher or out of line, reflecting the fragment's imprecise seating. No cross-references to other attribution systems have been established for this variety, and no additional comments are recorded in the catalog. As the sole retained cud documented for the 1971-D date, RCD-1c-1971D-01 stands apart from the multiple conventional cuds in the CU-1C-1971D sequence by illustrating an alternative outcome of the same underlying failure mechanism. The distinction between a retained cud and a full cud is often a matter of fracture geometry and how the fragment is held — the same die crack that frees a piece that drops out in one case may leave a loose piece trapped in position in another, depending on crack orientation, die temperature, and the forces acting on the fragment during subsequent strikes.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 12/19/2018.

External References