CU-1C-1985-27 Rim Cud

Description

The second of two rim cuds documented for the 1985 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent, CU-1C-1985-27 pairs with CU-26 to form a rim cud subset within the date's 30-variety cud population. Rim cuds differ mechanically from standard cuds in how the fracture propagates through the die. In a standard cud, cracks extend from the rim inward, eventually isolating a section of the die face that includes both rim and field areas. In a rim cud, the fracture follows the rim's geometry more closely, separating a thin strip of die material along the rim zone without penetrating deeply into the field. This fracture pattern reflects the rim's structural role: on a Lincoln cent die, the rim is formed by a raised ring that serves as the outermost boundary of the design cavity. This ring is structurally thin compared to the die's central mass and experiences concentrated stress as it forms the coin's rim during striking. Fractures that propagate along this thin ring rather than through the thicker interior produce the characteristic rim cud morphology. The presence of two rim cuds among 30 total varieties — roughly seven percent — is consistent with rim cud frequency observed across other well-documented dates. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets at 2.5 grams and 19mm from the 1985 mintage of approximately 5.65 billion cents.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Rosenberg
• CU-1C-1985-27
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References