1971 (D) Kennedy Half Dollar - RCD-50c-1971D-01 Retained Rim Cud

Description

First documented retained cud on a 1971 Denver Mint Kennedy Half Dollar, this variety captures a die rim fracture on one of the early clad-composition issues in the series that began with the copper-nickel clad transition after 1970. A retained cud differs from a full cud in that the fractured rim section has broken free but is held in place, usually by the collar — the struck coin shows a raised area at the rim that keeps its design, sometimes out of line, instead of the blank, smooth mass that characterizes a full cud. Cross-referenced simply as RCD-50c-1971D-01 with no external catalog number, this variety was documented by Cuds on Coins. The Kennedy Half Dollar, designed by Gilroy Roberts (obverse) and Frank Gasparro (reverse), underwent composition changes from 90% silver in 1964 to 40% silver from 1965 through 1970, and finally to copper-nickel clad beginning in 1971. The 1971-D was among the first half dollars struck in the new clad composition at Denver, with a mintage of approximately 302.1 million coins — a substantial production run that subjected numerous die pairs to the stresses of striking the new composition at high speed. The clad composition introduced different metallurgical interactions between the die and planchet compared to the silver alloy, and the first year of production may have presented die wear patterns that were not yet fully optimized. As the sole retained cud documented for this date, RCD-50c-1971D-01 represents the primary example of rim failure on 1971-D Kennedy Halves.

Cross References

• RCD-50c-1971D-01; number: none.

External References