CU-1C-1990-03 Rim Cud

Description

Classified specifically as a rim cud with no known cross-references to other catalogs, CU-1C-1990-03 on the 1990 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent documents a die fracture confined to the rim zone rather than extending inward to disrupt field design elements. Rim cuds form when the raised ring on the die face — the feature that creates the coin's protective border — fractures along its circumference, separating a narrow arc of die material without breaking into the deeper interior. The result on the struck coin is an area where the rim becomes irregular, flattened, or thickened without the dramatic field-invading blob characteristic of standard cuds. This confinement to the rim makes rim cuds more subtle than their field-penetrating counterparts and increases the likelihood of confusion with post-mint damage such as counting machine marks or rolling machine contact. Authentication requires careful examination of the anomaly's surface texture: genuine rim cuds display metal flow consistent with the striking event, while post-mint damage produces displaced metal with directional characteristics inconsistent with die impression. Cataloged on September 1, 2013, CU-03 represents one of the later additions to the 1990 Philadelphia cud inventory. Struck on copper-plated zinc planchets composed of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, weighing 2.5 grams and measuring 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry Peterson
• CU-1C-1990-03; none. 09/01/2013.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References