CU-1C-1966-01 Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1C-1966-01, this is the first documented cud variety for the 1966 Lincoln cent from the Philadelphia Mint's production of 2,188,147,783 business strike cents. A cud is created when a piece of the die breaks away at the rim, leaving a void that fills with planchet metal during striking and produces a raised, featureless lump on the finished coin. The rim is the most vulnerable area of any die, as the edge of the die steel bears the highest stress concentrations during the striking process and has the least structural support from surrounding material. The 1966 production volume was the highest of the three-year no-mint-mark era established by the Coinage Act of 1965, exceeding both the 1965 output of nearly 1.5 billion and the subsequent 1967 production. This enormous output demanded an extraordinary number of die pairs, and the extended service lives required by the production schedule increased the cumulative fatigue on each die, elevating the probability of rim fractures. The six cud varieties documented for the 1966 date (CU-1C-1966-01 through CU-1C-1966-06) demonstrate the scale of die failures across the year's production run, with each cud representing a unique die that experienced its own rim fracture at a specific location and point in its service life. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1966-01 and attributed by Cuds on Coins. Collectors examining 1966 cents should carefully inspect the full rim circumference under magnification. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Heritage Auction
• CU-1C-1966-01
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References