CU-1c-1982-04(LD) Cud

Description

The bronze-composition member of the CU-1c-1982-04(LD) pair, this cud documents the same die break on the heavier 95% copper alloy planchet at 3.1 grams with the wider large date numerals. Where the zinc version weighs 2.5 grams and carries a copper coating over a zinc core, this bronze specimen is solid copper-zinc alloy throughout — a compositional difference that affects not only the coin's weight and color but also how the displaced metal fills the void left by the fractured die segment. Bronze, being harder and denser than the zinc-core planchet, flows into the die cavity with greater force during the coining strike, potentially producing a slightly sharper definition at the boundary between the cud's featureless plateau and the adjacent intact design. This Bronze/Zinc pair under a single census number is a hallmark of the 1982 transition period: the same working die served across the alloy changeover, capturing an identical fracture pattern on both compositions. For collectors, the bronze version typically displays the warmer, more reddish surface tone associated with the traditional Lincoln cent alloy — a visual distinction that becomes more pronounced as the coins tone naturally over time. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bob Piazza
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References