RCD-1c-1909-08R Retained Cud

Description

Documented on the reverse of a 1909 Lincoln Wheat Cent with the VDB designer's initials, this eighth retained cud for the date preserves a die rim fracture where the broken section remained attached during continued striking — along with a secondary obverse die crack running from the rim to Lincoln's shoulder. A retained cud differs from a full cud in that the fractured rim piece stays in place rather than separating from the die, producing a raised and distorted area at the rim that retains partial design detail instead of the blank featureless mass characteristic of complete cuds. The additional obverse die crack from rim to shoulder indicates that this particular die pair was experiencing progressive deterioration on both the obverse and reverse faces simultaneously, suggesting the dies were approaching the end of their useful service life. The 1909 VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent is among the most historically significant issues in American numismatics — it was the first year of the Lincoln Cent, designed by Victor David Brenner, and the VDB initials on the reverse were controversial enough to be removed partway through the production year after public criticism. Cross-referenced with no other known catalog numbers, this retained cud documents die deterioration on a coin that was witnessing the birth of what would become America's longest-running coin design series. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, RCD-1c-1909-08R combines inaugural-year significance, the VDB reverse variety, and dual die deterioration features to create a compelling variety for collectors of both Lincoln Cent die varieties and first-year-of-issue material.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mike Antenucci
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References