CU-1C-1974D-14 Cud

Description

Documented as CU-1C-1974D-14 in the Cuds on Coins catalog, this rim cud variety extends the already substantial census of die failures on 1974 Denver Mint Lincoln Memorial cents. A cud forms when a section of the die rim fractures and separates entirely, leaving an open cavity at the die's edge. On subsequent strikes, planchet metal flows unchecked into this void, producing a raised, featureless mass along the affected portion of the rim. The catalog cross-references this variety as LC-74D-12 in The Cud Book (Thurman and Margolis) and as JCc-74D_32, with a documentation date of September 1, 2013. These multiple reference numbers across different attribution systems confirm that CU-1C-1974D-14 has been independently verified and assigned standardized identifiers for collector and dealer communication. Denver's colossal 1974 cent production — approximately 4.24 billion pieces — subjected dies to relentless mechanical stress, making terminal rim fractures an inevitable byproduct of the production cycle. Each die pair endured hundreds of thousands of high-pressure strikes before retirement, and the fourteen documented cuds for the 1974-D date illustrate the scale of die attrition across Denver's press lines during this period. Specimens of CU-1C-1974D-14 entered circulation as regular business strikes and can be identified by the distinctive geometry and clock-position of the rim break, which must match the reference images and positional data published by Cuds on Coins. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Sullivannumismatics on ebay
• CU-1C-1974D-14; number: LC-74D-12, JCc-74D_32. 09/01/2013.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References