CU-1C-1994-05 Cud

Description

When multiple cuds are cataloged for a single date and mint, the pattern shifts from isolated incident to systemic evidence about die performance under production conditions, and CU-1C-1994-05 — the fifth documented obverse cud on the 1994 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent from Cuds on Coins — contributes to exactly that kind of analysis. Seven cuds across the 1994-P cent production indicate that approximately seven different dies experienced rim fractures severe enough to catalog, out of the thousands of die pairs employed. While this ratio is small in percentage terms, it confirms that the mechanical stresses of the coining process predictably exceeded the fatigue limits of die rim steel on a non-trivial number of dies. Factors contributing to rim vulnerability include die hardness specifications, collar fit tolerances, striking pressure settings, and planchet alloy behavior. The copper-plated zinc composition used for Lincoln cents since 1982 introduces a two-phase deformation dynamic during striking that differs from the solid bronze previously used, and this difference may subtly influence where and how often rim fractures occur. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1994-05.

Attribution History

• Discovered by hotrod410 on ebay
• CU-1C-1994-05
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References