CU-50c-1980D-02 Cud

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins as CU-50c-1980D-02, this cud error on the 1980-D Kennedy half dollar documents a major die break at the coin's rim where a section of the die fractured and separated, producing a raised featureless mass of metal on the struck coin. Cud formation requires a catastrophic failure in the die steel — the kind of stress fracture that propagates from the die face to the rim, causing a piece to break free entirely. Once the fragment detaches, every subsequent coin struck by that die carries the cud impression until the die is removed from service. The 1980-D Kennedy half dollar was struck at the Denver Mint in copper-nickel clad composition (91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel bonded to a pure copper core), and Denver produced approximately 33.5 million half dollars that year. Kennedy half dollars have been collected extensively since the denomination's 1964 introduction following President Kennedy's assassination, and error varieties add an additional dimension to an already popular series. No additional cross-references are recorded for this variety beyond the Cuds on Coins designation. Collectors evaluating cud varieties typically assess size, position, and completeness of the break — larger cuds that obliterate recognizable design elements generally command higher premiums than small rim breaks that affect only peripheral areas.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Pete Apple
• CU-50c-1980D-02; none.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References