PC-1c-1972D-04 Pre-Cud

Description

Bearing the obverse designation PC-1c-1972D-04 (note the absence of an "R" suffix), this pre-cud documents an incipient die break on the obverse of a 1972-D Lincoln Memorial cent — a die on the verge of catastrophic rim failure that had not yet progressed to full fragment separation. The Cuds on Coins attribution team assigned the cross-reference PC-1c-1972D-04 on May 31, 2022, establishing this as the fourth pre-cud cataloged for the obverse of this date. Pre-cuds on the obverse of Lincoln cents are particularly diagnostic because they affect the portrait side, where heavy die cracks radiating from the rim toward Lincoln's bust, the date numerals, or the legends can be precisely mapped against known design reference points. The coin struck from a pre-cud die shows the advanced crack as a raised line — sometimes broad and irregular — extending inward from the rim, with the surrounding area occasionally exhibiting weakness or displacement as the partially detached fragment begins to move independently of the die body during each striking cycle. Had this die continued in service, the fragment would have eventually separated completely, transforming the pre-cud into a full cud variety. Whether that transition was captured on surviving specimens or the die was retired before total failure remains part of the numismatic detective work that makes die break collecting an investigative pursuit. The massive 1972-D production run ensured that even short-lived die states — including transitional pre-cud impressions — were struck in sufficient quantities to enter the numismatic marketplace.

Attribution History

• Cross reference: PC-1c-1972D-04. 05/31/2022.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References