CU-1C-1971S-04 Cud

Description

Cataloged as the fourth cud for the 1971-S Lincoln Memorial cent by Cuds on Coins, CU-1C-1971S-04 records yet another rim die break on a business strike die from San Francisco — extending the documented sequence of die fracture events for this date to at least four distinct working dies that developed cud-producing breaks during their operational service. The progression from CU-01 through CU-04 builds a die failure census for the 1971-S business strike production, with each entry representing a unique die that fractured at a different rim location and potentially at a different point in the production schedule. The physics of cud formation are consistent across all entries: cyclic compressive loading during striking generates fatigue damage at the die rim — the geometric stress concentration where the flat striking face meets the cylindrical die body — and when the accumulated damage exceeds the local material strength, a fragment separates from the die face. Coins struck after the break carry the cud as a permanent record of the failure event, with the raised featureless area corresponding in position and shape to the missing die fragment. For collectors, cuds from the same date and mintmark offer a subset collecting opportunity within the broader error coin field: assembling CU-01, CU-03, CU-04, and CU-07 from the 1971-S catalog creates a small set documenting the range of rim failure positions and sizes produced by San Francisco's 1971 cent dies. Attribution requires matching the cud's clock position and angular extent against the Cuds on Coins reference images for each numbered variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Sullivannumismatics on ebay
• CU-1C-1971S-04
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References