CU-1C-1973D-05 Cud

Description

Documented as CU-1C-1973D-05 in the Cuds on Coins catalog, this obverse cud is the fifth overall cud variety and the third obverse-side break attributed to the 1973 Denver Mint Lincoln Memorial cent. The coin exhibits the hallmark characteristics of a full rim separation: a raised, amorphous mass of metal projecting from the rim where a segment of the obverse die fractured and detached. Unlike a die crack — which produces a fine raised line where metal fills a hairline fracture while the broken piece remains in position — a cud results from the complete loss of die material at the rim, creating an unrestricted flow channel for planchet metal under the tonnage pressures of the coining press. Three obverse cuds from a single date-mint combination (CU-1C-1973D-01, -03, and -05) indicate that at least three separate obverse dies developed terminal rim failures during Denver's 1973 cent production campaign. Given that each die typically served through hundreds of thousands of impressions before failure, and the Denver facility employed hundreds of obverse dies throughout the year to achieve its 3.55-billion-piece output, three documented obverse cuds represents a small fraction of the total dies used — yet each one produced a population of collectible error coins. The specific clock-position and angular extent of CU-1C-1973D-05's break distinguishes it from the other two obverse entries and serves as the primary attribution criterion.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• CU-1C-1973D-05
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References