CU-1C-1987P-03 Rim Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1C-1987P-03 with the explicit "P" mint mark suffix that distinguishes it from the main 1987 cud sequence, this rim cud variety on the 1987 Lincoln Memorial cent carries a separate numbering track within the Cuds on Coins reference system. The "P" suffix in the catalog number may reflect a later discovery or a cataloging convention update, since Philadelphia-minted cents of this era do not bear a mint mark on the coin itself — the distinction exists only in the reference system to differentiate this die from the twelve varieties numbered in the CU-1C-1987 main sequence. As a rim cud, this variety formed when a segment of die steel fractured and separated at the junction of the die face and the collar wall, leaving a void that filled with metal during each subsequent strike. The rim location is the most mechanically stressed zone of any coining die, where the outward flow of metal during the strike meets the resistance of the collar, and the resulting shear forces make peripheral fractures the most common mode of catastrophic die failure. This thirteenth cud documented for the 1987 cent production further establishes the date as one of the more prolific sources of cud varieties in the Memorial cent series, consistent with the massive 4,682,466,931-coin output that consumed hundreds of die pairs. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• CU-1C-1987P-03; number: none.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References