CU-1c-1974-01 Cud

Description

The first documented cud for the 1974 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial cent, CU-1c-1974-01 inaugurates the rim break census for this date. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety carries no additional cross-reference numbers from other attribution systems. A cud is a major die break error in which a section of the die rim fractures and separates completely, creating a void at the die's edge that fills with planchet metal during subsequent strikes. The result is a raised, featureless blob along the affected portion of the coin's rim — an error type that is immediately recognizable even without magnification in many cases. The Philadelphia Mint produced approximately 4.23 billion Lincoln cents in 1974 without a mint mark, a volume that rivaled Denver's output and similarly demanded an enormous number of die pairs operating continuously throughout the year. Under these conditions, die fatigue was inevitable, and rim fractures leading to cuds were among the more conspicuous forms of terminal die failure. CU-1c-1974-01 as the first entry in the Philadelphia 1974 cud census establishes the baseline for what proved to be a substantial catalog of rim breaks from this date. Collectors encountering a suspected cud on a 1974 Philadelphia cent should compare the break's clock-position and arc-length against the reference images for CU-1c-1974-01 and the other cataloged entries to ensure correct attribution. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Keith Christenson
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References