1974 (D) Lincoln Memorial Cent - CU-1C-1974D-01 Cud

Description

Designated CU-1C-1974D-01 in the Cuds on Coins catalog, this is the first documented cud variety for the 1974 Denver Mint Lincoln Memorial cent. A cud forms when a segment of the die rim fractures and separates entirely from the die body, creating an open cavity at the die's periphery. When a planchet is subsequently struck by the damaged die, metal flows into this uncontained void under the immense pressure of the coining press, producing a raised, shapeless mass of metal at the coin's rim that replaces the normal design elements in that area. Producing that volume of coinage required the sustained operation of numerous press lines consuming die pairs at a prodigious rate. Each die was subjected to hundreds of thousands of high-pressure striking cycles, and the cumulative fatigue stress — particularly at the die rim, where the design meets the collar and stress concentrations are highest — inevitably caused rim fractures on a subset of dies. CU-1C-1974D-01 documents the first cataloged instance of such a failure on a 1974-D die.

Cross References

• CU-1C-1974D-01

External References