CU-1C-1981-10 Cud

Description

With CU-1C-1981-10, the 1981 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent cud census reaches ten confirmed entries — a round-number milestone that places this date comfortably among the better-documented years in the Cuds on Coins database. Ten distinct working dies experiencing terminal rim fracture during a single production year speaks to the enormous volume of coins the Philadelphia facility was producing during this period, as well as to the inherent vulnerability of die rim edges under sustained high-pressure striking. The fracture that produced CU-1C-1981-10 was confirmed as unique through careful comparison with all nine preceding entries, examining break position, angular span, and proximity to specific design elements such as date digits, motto letters, and portrait features. Every 1981 Philadelphia cent was struck from the 95% copper, 5% zinc alloy — the final complete year for this composition before the mid-1982 changeover to copper-plated zinc reduced the cent's weight from 3.1 to 2.5 grams. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Keith Christenson
• CU-1C-1981-10
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References