CU-1C-1977-12 Cud

Description

With the catalog designation CU-1C-1977-12, this cud variety marks the twelfth confirmed rim break on 1977 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial cents. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, it documents a die that developed a terminal fracture at its rim during the course of normal production operations. Die rim fractures follow a well-understood progression: initial stress concentrations at the junction of the die face and collar groove seed microscopic cracks that grow incrementally with each strike cycle. As the crack front advances, the affected rim section becomes progressively weaker until it separates entirely, leaving a cavity that produces cuds on all subsequent strikes. The resulting coins carry a raised, formless mass of copper at the break location — a feature that ranges from subtle to spectacular depending on the size of the separated fragment. Twelve documented cuds for the 1977 Philadelphia date is an exceptional count that places this issue among the most prolific cud-producing dates in the entire Memorial cent series, a distinction attributable directly to the approximately 4.47 billion pieces struck that year. Philadelphia cents of this era bore no mint mark, and the 95% copper composition gave each planchet the ductility to flow readily into die cavities, ensuring that even small rim voids produced clearly visible cuds. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chris Keegan
• CU-1C-1977-12
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References