CU-1C-1966-19 Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1C-1966-19, this nineteenth documented cud variety rounds out a remarkably deep catalog of rim die failures for the 1966 Lincoln cent. Nineteen cuds for a single date places 1966 among the most cud-rich years in the entire Lincoln cent series, a distinction earned by the combination of the year's record-setting mintage and the demanding production conditions of the coin shortage era. The die metallurgy of mid-1960s cent dies used hardened tool steel that could withstand hundreds of thousands of impressions, but the cumulative effect of each strike gradually weakened the die's structural integrity, particularly at the rim where stress concentrations are highest. A die that might have been retired at 300,000 strikes under normal conditions could be pushed to 500,000 or more when production quotas demanded maximum output, and each additional thousand strikes increased the probability of the fatigue-driven rim fracture that produces a cud. The 1966 cent carries no mint mark, a consequence of the Coinage Act of 1965's three-year mint mark suppression designed to combat coin hoarding. The year's output of 2,188,147,783 business strike cents represented the highest single-year production in the no-mint-mark era, exceeded only by later years when mint marks had been restored. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1966-19 and attributed by Cuds on Coins. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

Attribution History

• CU-1C-1966-19
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References