1972 (D) Lincoln Memorial Cent - CU-1C-1972D-01 Cud

Description

First cud documented for the 1972-D Lincoln Memorial cent in the Cuds on Coins catalog, CU-1C-1972D-01 represents a die break at the rim where a section of the die face fractured and separated, leaving a void that produced a raised, featureless blob of metal on struck coins where normal design elements should appear. Cuds form when accumulated stress from millions of high-pressure strikes causes fatigue fractures to develop from the rim inward, eventually liberating a chunk of die steel that cannot be replaced without retiring the die entirely. The Cuds on Coins attribution team systematically catalogs these die break varieties across all Lincoln cent dates, assigning sequential numbers within each date-mintmark combination to track the distinct die failures discovered. The 1972-D cent's massive production volume — Denver struck hundreds of millions of examples — meant large numbers of dies were consumed during the production run, each subjected to the repetitive stress cycles that ultimately produce rim failures. Among error coin collectors, cuds are visually dramatic because their blank, raised surfaces are immediately apparent without magnification, contrasting sharply with the fine-detail varieties like doubled dies and repunched mintmarks that require optical aids for attribution.

Cross References

• CU-1C-1972D-01

External References