CU-1C-1992-01 Cud

Description

First in a series of four cuds cataloged for the 1992 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent, CU-1C-1992-01 documents a die fracture where a section of the die rim broke away, allowing metal to flow into the void during striking and producing a raised, unstruck blob on the finished coin. The mechanics of cud formation begin with fatigue cracking at the die's rim — the thinnest and most stress-concentrated region — which propagates inward until a wedge-shaped fragment separates from the die face. Once that fragment detaches, every subsequent strike pushes planchet metal into the cavity, creating the characteristic featureless raised area that distinguishes a cud from lesser die breaks. On copper-plated zinc cents struck since 1982, the zinc core's lower hardness compared to the earlier bronze composition means planchet metal flows more readily into die voids, often producing cuds with sharper boundaries and more pronounced relief than those found on pre-1982 copper cents. For collectors of die break varieties, cuds represent the most advanced stage of die failure — beyond die cracks and interior die breaks, where the die has not merely cracked but has actually lost material. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets, 2.5 grams, 19mm, plain edge.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Heritage Auctions
• CU-1C-1992-01
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References