CU-1C-1988D-02 Cud

Description

Following immediately after the type specimen in the catalog, CU-1C-1988D-02 on the 1988-D Lincoln Memorial cent documents a second distinct die that developed a retained break during the Denver Mint's production run. Each cud variety in the Cuds on Coins catalog represents a unique die — identified through its specific break geometry, position on the coin, and associated die markers such as secondary cracks, die scratches, or other imperfections that developed on that particular die during its service life. Two collectors may each own a 1988-D cent with a cud, but unless the break profiles and die markers match, they hold coins from different dies and thus different catalog entries. Cud collecting on Lincoln cents gained systematic traction in the early 2000s when online communities enabled collectors to share discoveries and build comprehensive catalogs organized by date and mintmark. Before this digital infrastructure, cuds were appreciated individually but rarely studied as a population-level phenomenon within a date. The organized catalog approach revealed that prolific production dates like 1988-D — with its substantial Denver mintage — typically yield multiple cud varieties as the statistical probability of die failure scales with the number of dies consumed. Struck at Denver on copper-plated zinc planchets at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman & JC Stevens
• CU-1C-1988D-02
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References