CU-1C-1974D-03 Cud

Description

The third cud variety cataloged for the 1974 Denver Lincoln Memorial cent, CU-1C-1974D-03 documents another instance of die rim failure from this record-setting production year. When a piece of die steel at the rim separates under the repeated mechanical stress of striking, the resulting void allows planchet metal to flow freely beyond the normal boundary of the coin's design during subsequent strikes. The raised mass of metal that forms at the rim is irregular in shape and surface texture — it carries no design detail because no die surface was present to impart any impression in the break area. This distinguishes a cud from a die crack, where the broken piece remains in place and continues to impart design detail (albeit with a raised line marking the crack path). CU-1C-1974D-03 occupies a distinct position on the coin's circumference from both CU-1C-1974D-01 and -02, confirming it originated from a different die than those two varieties. Whether CU-1C-1974D-03 is an obverse or reverse cud depends on which die in the pair suffered the rim failure — the Cuds on Coins catalog number convention distinguishes this with an "R" suffix for reverse breaks, and the absence of such a suffix on this entry indicates the break occurred on the obverse die. This means the cud appears on the portrait side of the coin, potentially affecting Lincoln's image, the motto, the date, LIBERTY, or the rim design depending on its angular position. The 1974-D date's thirteen documented cuds — among the highest counts for any Lincoln cent date-mint — reflect the immense scale of Denver's production and the mechanical toll it exacted on the dies employed throughout the year.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Marvin L
• CU-1C-1974D-03
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References