CU-50c-1983P-01 Rim Cud

Description

First in the Cuds on Coins catalog for the 1983 Philadelphia Kennedy Half Dollar (CU-50c-1983P-01), this rim cud documents a significant die fracture that occurred along the rim of a working die during production, causing a wedge-shaped piece of hardened die steel to break away and leave a void that produced raised, featureless metal on every subsequent coin struck by that die. No independent cross-references have been established. The 1983-P Kennedy Half Dollar holds particular numismatic significance beyond this cud variety: 1983 was a year when half dollars were produced only for mint sets and not released into general circulation, making the entire issue somewhat scarce in the marketplace compared to circulation-strike years. This reduced availability means that the population of CU-50c-1983P-01 specimens is further constrained by the limited distribution channel. Gilroy Roberts designed the Kennedy obverse and Frank Gasparro designed the heraldic eagle reverse — a design pairing that has served the denomination since its introduction in 1964 as a tribute to President John F. Kennedy following his November 1963 assassination. Rim cuds on the half dollar's larger diameter (30.61 mm) create visually impressive specimens where the raised blob can span a considerable arc of the coin's periphery. Struck in copper-nickel clad composition (11.34 grams, with outer layers of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to a pure copper core), this half dollar carries the P mintmark on the obverse. The cud is generally visible to the unaided eye as a raised metallic mass disrupting the coin's rim, though magnification reveals the fracture boundary where the die break terminates and normal design detail resumes.

Attribution History

• CU-50c-1983P-01; number: none.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References