RCD-1c-1990-01R Retained Cud

Description

A retained cud on the reverse of the 1990 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent, RCD-1c-1990-01R documents a die fracture where the broken section of die steel remained partially attached rather than separating completely. With no known cross-references to other catalogs, this variety stands as a unique documentation of an intermediate failure state between an intact die and a fully formed cud. Retained cuds form when a fatigue crack propagates far enough to partially isolate a section of die material, but friction, geometric interlocking, or residual metal bridges prevent the fractured piece from ejecting. The retained fragment shifts slightly under striking pressure — typically sinking below the surrounding die face — creating a raised area on the struck coin that shows partial design disruption rather than the completely featureless blob of a full cud. This partial disruption makes retained cuds diagnostically fascinating because they preserve a ghostly impression of the design elements that would be fully obliterated if the die fragment separated. The reverse location, designated by the R suffix, means the retained fragment affected the Lincoln Memorial design, where partial column or lettering impressions within the raised area can reveal the geometry of the fracture. 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 Keynumis on ebay
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References