This one appears to have gotten a blob where the initials should’ve been. What would cause this to happen?
Lincoln Cent Cuds; 1970 – 1979 : Cuds on Coins (cuds-on-coins.com) Check out this link. It looks like a CUD and there is one in the attachment that looks just like yours.
When the Die Breaks in a certain area then it strikes a blank planchet the metal flows into the void. It's never added material that would cause a blob. The name for it is a Cud. Yours is neat but small and simple. Don't be confused. Ask away and we will help you!
You have a small but very nice Cud. That is a mint error caused by a die crack that started on the rim and runs along the rim.
So I've been reading up on the minting process and I'm more of asking for confirmation than anything. Is it correct that one of the signs of a genuine die event (cud in this case) is the loss of detail directly opposite on the reverse due to metal being forced into the break rather than into the die?
When a die cracks and the die strikes a blank planchet the metal from the planchet fills the crack that formed on the die. When this occurs along the rim of a coin it’s called a cud. Cud’s must touch the rim. In other non-rim areas-it just fills the crack in the die. As the die continues to be used, the crack continues to grow larger.
Haha! I'm kidding! I thought you were referring to the penny posts of a certain fella, who shall remain nameless, who hasn't posted a single legit cent error yet.
You seem to be referring to the Blakesley Effect. Normally found on clipped planchets (Incomplete Planchets). May or may not be present for the clipped planchets so I doubt it would show up for a cud.
Finally a real error on a penny. As in "instead of some obvious nonsense post mint damage" which also includes dozens of pix from every angle and magnified to the extent you could smell it.