CU-1C-1986-10 Cud

Description

Reaching the double-digit catalog numbers, CU-1C-1986-10 on the 1986 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent marks the midpoint of the documented cud census for this date. The transition from copper to copper-plated zinc in 1982 introduced new variables into die wear patterns, and by 1986 the Mint had accumulated four years of operational experience with the lighter planchets. Zinc's lower hardness compared to the bronze alloy it replaced meant that planchets offered less resistance during striking, theoretically reducing per-strike stress on the dies. However, the zinc composition also changed the friction dynamics at the die-planchet interface — zinc has a tendency to adhere microscopically to die surfaces, a phenomenon called die pickup or material transfer, which can alter the die's surface characteristics and potentially accelerate localized wear in ways that copper alloys did not. Whether the 1986-P cud count of twenty varieties represents a higher, lower, or comparable failure rate to pre-1982 bronze-era dates requires normalization against total die usage, a figure not publicly available from the Mint. CU-1C-1986-10 is cataloged under its Cuds on Coins designation as the tenth documented die break for this date. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Nugent
• CU-1C-1986-10
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References