CU-1C-1966-07 Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1C-1966-07, this is the seventh documented cud variety for the 1966 Lincoln cent, extending the already substantial count of rim die failures recorded for this date. A cud forms when accumulated metal fatigue causes a section of the die rim to fracture and separate entirely from the die body. The missing fragment leaves an open cavity in the die face, and when a planchet is struck against that damaged die, the metal flows into the void and produces a raised, featureless mass on the finished coin. The location and shape of the cud correspond directly to the geometry of the die fracture, making each cataloged cud a fingerprint of a unique die failure event. The 1966 Lincoln cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint during the second year of the Coinage Act of 1965 era, when Congress had mandated the removal of mint marks from all U.S. coins to discourage speculative hoarding during the national coin shortage. The year's business strike output of 2,188,147,783 cents — the highest of the three-year no-mint-mark period — consumed an extraordinary number of working dies, and the relentless pace of production pushed many dies well into their fatigue range. The seven cuds documented for 1966 so far (with additional varieties cataloged beyond this number) illustrate how the production environment created fertile conditions for rim fractures across the die population. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1966-07 and attributed by Cuds on Coins. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• CU-1C-1966-07
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References