CU-1C-1982-29 Cud

Description

Twenty-ninth entry in the 1982 Philadelphia cud census, CU-1C-1982-29 documents a die rim failure on the Bronze Large Date subtype. The steady accumulation of census entries for this particular subtype provides indirect evidence about die utilization patterns: if Bronze Large Date dies were among the first manufactured for the 1982 production year and saw the longest service before being replaced by zinc-composition tooling, their extended lifespans would have exposed them to the maximum number of striking cycles — and therefore the highest probability of fatigue-driven rim fractures. Metal crystallization within the die steel is the underlying mechanism: repeated compressive loading at the die rim causes grain boundaries to weaken, micro-cracks to nucleate, and eventually a segment to separate entirely. The resulting cud is permanent evidence of that metallurgical failure, preserved on every coin struck from the damaged die until it was removed from service. At 3.1 grams and 95% copper, the Bronze Large Date cent predates the mid-1982 switch to copper-plated zinc that permanently altered the Lincoln cent. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• CU-1C-1982-29
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References