CU-1C-1992-04 Rim Cud

Description

Completing the 1992 Philadelphia cud census, CU-1C-1992-04 is the second rim cud among the four cataloged varieties — an unusually high ratio that suggests the die steel or heat treatment used during this production period may have been particularly susceptible to rim fracture. In die manufacturing, the rim zone receives special attention during hardening because it must withstand both the direct compressive force of striking and the lateral shearing force where the die face transitions to the collar interface. Even minor variations in heat treatment — quenching temperature, tempering duration, surface hardness gradients — can alter the fatigue life of this critical zone by orders of magnitude. The fact that half the 1992-P cuds are specifically rim cuds, rather than field or interior cuds, hints at a rim-specific vulnerability in these particular dies. For variety collectors building a comprehensive set, the four 1992-P cuds represent one of the more accessible cud groups in the Lincoln Memorial series: the enormous 1992 mintage means surviving examples appear regularly in roll searches and dealer inventories, making this an achievable subset compared to cuds from lower-mintage dates where the total population of error coins is correspondingly smaller. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets, 2.5 grams, 19mm, plain edge.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Sean O’Connell
• CU-1C-1992-04
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References