CU-1C-1983D-01 Cud

Description

Opening the cud census for the 1983 Denver Lincoln Memorial cent, CU-1C-1983D-01 documents the first cataloged major die break on this date-mintmark combination. A cud forms when a section of the die fractures and separates entirely from the die face, leaving a void that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised, featureless blob on the finished coin — obliterating whatever design element occupied that region. The 1983-D cent was struck exclusively on the copper-plated zinc planchet at 2.5 grams, the composition having been fully standardized at the Denver Mint by this point following the mid-1982 transition from the traditional 95% copper alloy. Denver's substantial 1983 cent production — numbering in the billions — consumed vast quantities of dies, and the cumulative striking pressure on each die pair created inevitable opportunities for the catastrophic fractures that produce cuds. On the zinc planchet, the thin copper coating must conform to the die void during striking, and the plating's behavior at the boundary between intact design and the raised cud plateau can exhibit diagnostic stretching or thinning visible under magnification. As the inaugural entry in the 1983-D cud census, this variety establishes the baseline for all subsequent die break discoveries on this date. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Marvin L
• CU-1C-1983D-01
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References