PC-1c-1909-01 Pre-Cud

Description

Documented on the celebrated 1909 Lincoln Wheat Cent with VDB initials — the inaugural issue of the Lincoln Cent series and one of the most recognized key dates in all of American numismatics — PC-1c-1909-01 is the first pre-cud cataloged for this historic coin. The 1909 VDB cent, bearing Victor David Brenner's prominently placed initials on the reverse, was produced for only a portion of the year before public outcry over the perceived prominence of the designer's initials led the Mint to remove them (they were later restored in microscopic form in 1918). A pre-cud on this foundational date adds a die variety dimension to an already significant coin: the retained die crack at the rim documents the early stage of die failure where the fracture has propagated inward but the broken fragment remains attached, transferring a fine raised line rather than a full cud. The Philadelphia Mint struck 27,995,000 VDB cents before discontinuing the reverse initials, making it a widely collected first-year-of-issue coin. Struck in 95% copper and 5% tin-and-zinc at 3.11 grams. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, the code reads PC (pre-cud), 1c (denomination), 1909 (year), and 01 (the first documented pre-cud for this issue). Examine the rim for the fine raised hairline tracing the retained crack.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References