CU-1C-1989-03 Cud

Description

Bearing the cross-reference LC-89-14 in the Cud Book, CU-1C-1989-03 demonstrates the depth of the 1989 cud census — with at least fourteen date-specific entries cataloged for this single year. The LC-89-14 number indicates this cud received its Cud Book designation later in the cataloging process, as researchers continued to discover and document additional 1989 die breaks well after the initial census was established. The progression of die failure that produces a cud typically follows a predictable sequence: microscopic fatigue cracks develop in the die steel near the rim, propagate under repeated striking stress, and eventually coalesce into a fracture large enough to release a fragment of the die face. The size and shape of the resulting cud depend on the fracture geometry — some cuds are thin crescents barely extending past the rim, while others encompass significant portions of the design field. Each cud is unique in its exact rim position and angular extent, which is why systematic catalogs like the CU and LC numbering systems exist: they allow collectors and researchers to distinguish one die break from another and track which dies produced which specific cud configurations. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Charity & Chris Welch
• CU-1C-1989-03; number: LC-89-14.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References