CU-1C-1974D-12 Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1C-1974D-12 in the Cuds on Coins system, this variety is the twelfth numbered (but eleventh confirmed) cud for the 1974 Denver Mint Lincoln Memorial cent, following the gap at position 11 in the catalog sequence. The skip from -10 directly to -12 means that no specimen has been documented or retained under the CU-1C-1974D-11 designation, leaving a vacancy in the otherwise dense census. CU-1C-1974D-12 exhibits the standard characteristics of a die rim cud: a raised, amorphous mass of metal at the coin's rim produced when planchet metal filled the cavity left by a separated fragment of die steel. The break occurred on a die that had accumulated sufficient fatigue damage through its operational life to propagate a crack from a stress concentration point at the rim to complete fracture. As the penultimate cud in the 1974-D census (with CU-1C-1974D-13 being the final entry), CU-1C-1974D-12 is part of a thirteen-variety corpus that collectively demonstrates the toll exacted on Denver's die inventory by the approximately 4.24-billion-piece 1974 cent production. For collectors pursuing a complete type set of 1974-D cuds, the practical challenge lies not just in locating specimens of each variety but in correctly attributing them — with twelve confirmed entries (plus the vacant -11 slot), multiple cuds may occupy similar clock-positions, and careful measurement of the break's angular location, arc-length, and the specific design elements affected is essential for definitive identification. The Cuds on Coins catalog provides reference images and positional data for each entry to facilitate this attribution process.

Attribution History

• CU-1C-1974D-12
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References