CU-1C-1973-02 Rim Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1C-1973-02 by the Cuds on Coins attribution team, this rim cud is the second documented cud variety for the 1973 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent. The absence of an "R" suffix identifies this as an obverse cud — the die break occurred on the die bearing Lincoln's portrait rather than the Memorial reverse. The "Rim Cud" designation in this entry's title emphasizes the location of the break at the die's extreme periphery, though all cuds by definition involve rim fractures (distinguishing them from interior die breaks where a piece breaks away from within the die face but remains trapped). On the obverse of a Lincoln cent, a cud at the rim can obliterate portions of the motto IN GOD WE TRUST, the word LIBERTY, the date, or sections of Lincoln's portrait that extend near the rim — which specific elements are affected depends entirely on the angular position of the break. CU-1C-1973-02 is distinct from CU-1C-1973-01R both in its die side (obverse vs. reverse) and in the specific characteristics of its break. Philadelphia's prolific 1973 production output of approximately 3.73 billion cents subjected each die to enormous cumulative stress, and rim areas where design elements created geometric discontinuities were particularly susceptible to fatigue crack initiation and propagation. Collectors attributing specimens to this variety must match both the clock-position and the angular extent of the cud to the documented parameters for CU-1C-1973-02, differentiating it from the third entry (CU-1C-1973-03) which also appears on the obverse.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Marvin L
• CU-1C-1973-02
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References