CU-1c-1909-03R Cud

Description

Victor David Brenner's controversial initials VDB on the reverse wheat stalk make the 1909 VDB Lincoln Cent one of American numismatics' most recognized coins, and CU-1c-1909-03R documents a reverse rim cud on this inaugural issue. Cross-referenced as LC-09VDB-1R, the "VDB" in the cross-reference confirms this cud appears on the VDB variety specifically — the version with Brenner's initials that was struck for only a portion of 1909 production before the initials were removed due to public criticism. Philadelphia produced 27,995,000 VDB cents before production was halted and the initials deleted, a brief window that makes any die failure variety on a 1909 VDB an intersection of first-year-of-issue collecting and error collecting. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, the "03R" suffix indicates this is the third reverse cud documented for the 1909 date, with the R confirming the cud appears on the Wheat Ears reverse rather than the Lincoln portrait obverse. Rim cuds on early Lincoln Cents exhibit the classic die break morphology: a raised, featureless area at the coin's edge where the die cavity created by the missing die fragment filled with planchet metal during striking. Collectors value cuds on key dates disproportionately, and the 1909 VDB occupies a position as one of the Lincoln Cent series' most iconic issues, amplifying interest in any documented die failure from this first-year production run.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Cross reference number: LC-09VDB-1R.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References