CU-1C-1968D-01 Rim Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1C-1968D-01, this is the first documented cud variety for the 1968-D Lincoln cent — and notably the first cud in the Lincoln Memorial Cent series to carry a Denver Mint D mint mark since the 1964 coinage. The three-year Coinage Act of 1965 no-mint-mark era (1965—1967) had produced all cents at Philadelphia without mint identification, and when Denver resumed cent production in 1968 with the restored D mark, the full spectrum of die errors including cuds once again became attributable to specific mint facilities. Classified as a rim cud, this variety documents a fracture confined to the peripheral rim zone of the die, where the transition from the die cavity to the collar wall concentrates the striking forces that drive fatigue cracking. Rim cuds on 1968-D cents are of particular interest because the Denver Mint was re-establishing its cent production routines after the three-year period during which cent dies had been struck exclusively at Philadelphia, and the operational adjustments inherent in resuming production at a second facility may have introduced die handling or setup variations that contributed to early die failures. Whether this hypothesis holds for CU-1C-1968D-01 specifically is uncertain, but the variety is a documented data point in the broader study of die longevity across the 1967–1968 transition. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1968D-01 and attributed by Cuds on Coins. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc at the Denver Mint.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Keith Christenson
• CU-1C-1968D-01
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References