CU-1C-1987-01 Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1C-1987-01 in the Cuds on Coins reference system, this is the first of thirteen cud varieties documented on the 1987 Lincoln Memorial cent. A cud forms when a piece of the die breaks away at the rim, leaving a void in the die surface that produces a raised, featureless blob of metal on struck coins — a dramatic minting error that is among the most visually distinctive varieties in numismatics. The Cuds on Coins cataloging system assigns each cud a unique alphanumeric code based on denomination (1C for one cent), year, and sequence number, creating a standardized reference framework that allows collectors and researchers to communicate precisely about specific varieties. Because cuds require a catastrophic structural failure of the die — the complete separation of a die fragment — they represent a more advanced stage of die deterioration than cracks or retained breaks, and each cud documents the terminal event in a die's service life or, at minimum, a major structural compromise. The 1987 Philadelphia cent, struck with a mintage of 4,682,466,931 coins on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm, was produced under enormous volume pressure that subjected dies to sustained mechanical stress, contributing to the relatively large number of cud varieties documented for this date.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mike Diamond
• CU-1C-1987-01
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References