CU-1C-1977-15 Cud

Description

As the fifteenth confirmed cud in the 1977 Philadelphia census, CU-1C-1977-15 stands near the top of the catalog and reflects the extraordinary die consumption rate that accompanied the year's production of approximately 4.47 billion cents. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety documents a rim fracture on a working die that reached terminal failure during its service life. The mechanism is consistent across all cud varieties: fatigue cracks, initiated at stress concentration points along the die rim, propagate through the steel until a segment separates completely. The detached fragment may remain in the press collar or fall away entirely, but in either case the die's striking surface is permanently compromised and every subsequent coin receives a raised mass of extruded metal at the break location. Fifteen cuds from a single Philadelphia date places 1977 among the most extensively documented dates for rim break errors in the Lincoln Memorial cent series, a distinction that follows logically from its status as one of the highest-mintage dates in the denomination's history. CU-1C-1977-15 carries no additional cross-reference designations beyond its Cuds on Coins catalog number. All 1977 Philadelphia cents were struck without a mint mark from the standard 95% copper alloy. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• CU-1C-1977-15
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References