CU-1C-1987-09 Cud

Description

Recorded as CU-1C-1987-09 in the Cuds on Coins catalog, this ninth cud variety from the 1987 Lincoln Memorial cent extends the documented die failure record toward double digits for this single date. The Lincoln Memorial reverse design, used from 1959 through 2008, features architectural elements — columns, a cornice, steps, and the building facade — that create localized stress concentrators in the die steel. Where a design element meets the rim at a sharp angle or where fine detail crowds close to the die's edge, the die steel is thinner and more susceptible to crack initiation. These design-driven vulnerabilities help explain why certain denominations and designs produce more cuds than others, and the Memorial reverse with its twelve columns approaching the rim on both sides provides multiple potential fracture initiation sites. The obverse design, with Lincoln's portrait occupying the central field and legends running near the rim, presents its own set of stress points — particularly at the date area and the IN GOD WE TRUST legend where lettering meets the rim at close quarters. Whether CU-1C-1987-09 formed on the obverse or reverse die, it documents another instance of catastrophic die failure under the relentless production demands of a 4.68-billion-coin mintage year. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Marvin L
• CU-1C-1987-09
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References