CU-1C-1966-04 Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1C-1966-04, this is the fourth documented cud variety for the 1966 Lincoln cent from the Philadelphia Mint's peak-volume no-mint-mark production year. A cud is a die-failure variety that results from a rim fracture where a section of the die edge breaks away completely, and the void left by the missing fragment fills with metal during each subsequent strike. The resulting raised, smooth-surfaced protrusion on the finished coin replaces whatever design detail — rim, lettering, or devices — occupied that position, creating a permanent record of the die's structural failure. Cuds are particularly valued by error collectors because each one is a unique die event: no two dies fracture in exactly the same way, and the specific geometry of the break gives each cud variety its own distinctive character. The fourth cud in the 1966 series adds to the evidence that the Mint's production demands during the coin shortage era placed extraordinary stress on the die population. With 2,188,147,783 business strike cents produced in 1966, the number of working die pairs consumed during the year was enormous, and the extended service lives demanded by the production schedule increased the probability of rim fractures across the die population. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1966-04 and attributed by Cuds on Coins. The 1966 cent was struck on the 95% copper and 5% zinc composition introduced in 1965 when the Coinage Act eliminated tin from the cent's alloy. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet.

Attribution History

• Discovered by George dePozgay
• CU-1C-1966-04
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References