CU-50c-1966-01 Cud

Description

First cataloged cud for the 1966 Kennedy Half Dollar, CU-50c-1966-01 documents a die rim fracture on one of the most historically significant denominations in mid-twentieth century American coinage. The Kennedy Half Dollar series, introduced in 1964 as a memorial to the assassinated President John F. Kennedy, was in only its third year of production when this die failure occurred. The 1966 issue belongs to the silver-clad composition era (1965-1970), when Kennedy Half Dollars contained 40% silver — a reduced silver content mandated by the Coinage Act of 1965 that eliminated silver from dimes and quarters while gradually phasing it out of half dollars. The 1966 date is notable for the absence of a mintmark, as all coins struck from 1965 through 1967 omitted mintmarks to discourage hoarding of coins from specific mints during the coin shortage crisis of the mid-1960s. Cuds form when a rim section fractures and separates, leaving a cavity that fills with metal under striking pressure, creating the characteristic raised featureless mass. Gilroy Roberts' obverse portrait and Frank Gasparro's heraldic eagle reverse were still fresh designs by 1966, and the dies would have been under heavy production demand. Cross-referenced as CU-50c-1966-01 and cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety represents a scarce die break on an iconic American coin series.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Kevin Day-Thorburn
• CU-50c-1966-01
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References