1982 (P) Lincoln Memorial Cent - Zinc Large Date - CU-1C-1982-45 Cud

Description

Assigned to the Zinc Large Date subtype, CU-1C-1982-45 documents a die rim failure on one of the post-transition 1982 Philadelphia configurations — a cent struck from the copper-plated zinc planchet weighing 2.5 grams that replaced the heavier bronze blank at mid-year. The transition to zinc-core planchets was driven by economics: by 1982, the rising price of copper had pushed the metal content value of a bronze cent uncomfortably close to its face value, threatening the seigniorage revenue that the Mint earned on every coin produced. The new zinc planchet, with only a thin copper coating over a pure zinc core, reduced raw material costs dramatically while preserving the cent's familiar copper appearance. For die failure analysis, the softer zinc planchet presented different striking dynamics than bronze — lower resistance during the coining blow may have altered stress distribution at the die rim, though whether this increased or decreased the incidence of rim fractures remains an open question that the census data may eventually help resolve. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Cross References

• CU-1C-1982-45

External References