CU-1C-1986-19 Cud

Description

Nearing the end of the documented census for 1986 Philadelphia, CU-1C-1986-19 on the Lincoln Memorial cent carries a high catalog number that may reflect either a later discovery or a subtler die break that eluded earlier examination. The Cuds on Coins catalog remains open — new varieties can be added when collectors submit specimens that do not match any existing entry — so the current count of twenty varieties for 1986-P is a floor rather than a ceiling. Undiscovered cuds from this date almost certainly exist in unsearched accumulations: with nearly 4.5 billion cents produced, the population of coins that have never been examined by a variety-aware collector is vast. Bank vaults, institutional coin stocks, hoards assembled by non-collector savers, and the still-circulating population all represent potential discovery pools. Each roll of 1986-P cents opened and examined for the first time carries a probability, however small, of containing a cud from an undocumented die. The passage of time works against future discoveries as zinc cents deteriorate in circulation, but it also works in their favor as accumulations are periodically released and examined. CU-1C-1986-19 is the nineteenth cataloged die break for this date. Struck on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Charlie Smith
• CU-1C-1986-19
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References