PC-1c-1909-16 Pre-Cud

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins as PC-1c-1909-16, this pre-cud variety belongs to the inaugural year of the Lincoln Wheat Cent series — one of the most celebrated dates in American numismatics. The 1909 Philadelphia issue with the VDB initials of designer Victor David Brenner on the reverse was the first Lincoln cent ever produced, and the presence of Brenner's initials sparked a public controversy that led to their removal partway through the production run. A pre-cud represents the early stage of die deterioration that, if allowed to continue, would develop into a full cud or retained cud. At this stage, a significant die crack has formed and may be approaching the rim, but no piece of the die face has yet broken away. The crack itself is visible on struck coins as a raised line where metal is forced into the fissure during striking. Pre-cuds are valuable diagnostic markers for die state progression, documenting the structural weakness before catastrophic failure occurs. On a coin as historically significant as the 1909 VDB Lincoln cent, this die variety carries additional collector interest beyond the error itself, connecting the very first year of a design that would endure for over a century with the mechanical realities of die wear that affected even these earliest production runs.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mitch Wilkinson
• Cross reference: none. 03/27/2024.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References