CU-1C-1971S-01 Cud

Description

First documented cud for the 1971-S Lincoln Memorial cent, CU-1C-1971S-01 records a die break at the rim of a business strike die that produced a raised, unstruck blob of metal on the finished coin's edge — the characteristic signature of a cud error. Cuds form when a piece of the die breaks away at the rim, leaving a void in the die face that corresponds to a featureless raised area on every coin subsequently struck from that damaged die. The designation CU-1C-1971S-01 follows the Cuds on Coins cataloging system: CU for cud, 1C for one-cent denomination, 1971S for the date and mintmark, and 01 for the first cataloged cud on this date. Each numbered cud represents a different die break at a different location along the rim, with the break's position, size, and shape constituting the primary diagnostic criteria for attribution. As a business strike variety from San Francisco, this cud entered general circulation where its distinctive raised rim blob may have attracted attention from observant change handlers even without specialized numismatic knowledge — cuds are among the most visually striking error types because they replace recognizable design with an amorphous raised mass. The mechanical cause is straightforward: the repeated high-pressure impacts of striking hundreds of thousands of coins subjects the die rim to fatigue stress, and when the accumulated damage exceeds the steel's structural tolerance, a fragment separates. Die breaks at the rim progress from minor chips to full cuds as the fracture propagates, and CU-1C-1971S-01 represents a break significant enough to warrant cataloging within the Cuds on Coins inventory for this date.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Heritage Auction
• CU-1C-1971S-01
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References