PC-1c-1973-01R Pre-Cud

Description

Attributed on October 1, 2013, by the Cuds on Coins team, PC-1c-1973-01R is the sole documented pre-cud variety for the 1973 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent. No cross-references to other attribution services have been established. The "R" suffix identifies this as a reverse pre-cud. A pre-cud represents an intermediate stage in the die failure sequence that precedes a full cud: the die rim has developed a significant crack that is progressing toward complete separation, but the fractured segment has not yet detached. On struck coins, this manifests as a prominent raised crack line or ridge along the rim — often wider and more severe than a typical die crack — sometimes accompanied by slight displacement of the design on one side of the crack relative to the other, indicating that the cracked segment is beginning to shift. The pre-cud stage is transient: continued die use will eventually propagate the crack to full separation, at which point subsequent strikes will produce true cuds. Coins struck during the pre-cud stage are therefore documented as distinct varieties because they represent a specific window in the die's deterioration history. Whether PC-1c-1973-01R evolved into one of the documented full cuds for this date (such as CU-1C-1973-01R, which shares the reverse location) or whether the die was retired before full separation occurred cannot be determined from the available attribution data. The October 2013 attribution date makes this one of the earlier entries in the 1973 Philadelphia variety census, predating most of the cud entries by several years.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Rosenberg
• Cross reference: none. 10/01/2013.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References