CU-1C-1986-20R Cud

Description

Distinguished by the "R" suffix indicating a reverse die break, CU-1C-1986-20R on the 1986 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent is the only documented reverse cud among the twenty varieties cataloged for this date — making it the rarest subtype in the 1986-P cud census. Reverse cuds form on the anvil die (which carries the Lincoln Memorial design) rather than the hammer die (which bears Lincoln's portrait). This distinction matters mechanically: the hammer die absorbs repeated impact loading as it strikes downward, concentrating stress at its face and rim, while the anvil die primarily experiences compressive stress transmitted through the planchet. Impact loading is more aggressive at initiating fatigue cracks than pure compression, which explains the pronounced numerical imbalance between obverse and reverse cuds across nearly all Lincoln cent dates. The nineteen-to-one obverse-to-reverse ratio observed for 1986-P aligns with the general pattern documented by the Cuds on Coins census across the Memorial cent series. Reverse cuds on Lincoln cents obliterate portions of Frank Gasparro's Memorial design, potentially affecting columns, bays, the stylobate, or the E PLURIBUS UNUM legend depending on the fracture's position. CU-1C-1986-20R is cataloged under its Cuds on Coins designation. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm, from the 1986 mintage of 4,491,395,493 cents.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Greg Bowyer
• CU-1C-1986-20R
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References