CU-1C-1917S-07R Cud

Description

Reaching the seventh cataloged rim cud for the 1917-S Lincoln cent, CU-1C-1917S-07R underscores a pattern that die-variety researchers have long recognized: certain date-and-mint combinations produce disproportionate numbers of cud varieties, and the reasons are almost always rooted in production history rather than design vulnerability. The 1917-S cent's prolific cud output stems from a confluence of factors — high demand driven by America's entry into World War I, San Francisco's reliance on dies shipped cross-country from Philadelphia, and the imperative to maximize output from every available die. Copper cents of this era were struck on planchets of 95% copper and 5% tin-zinc, a composition that still imposed significant stress on die steel over thousands of impressions. The Cuds on Coins catalog number encodes this variety's identity precisely: CU for cud, 1C for one-cent denomination, 1917S for date and mintmark, 07 for the seventh entry, and R for rim break. Each element carries meaning, allowing researchers to sort and compare cud populations across dates, mints, and denominations.

Attribution History

• CU-1C-1917S-07R
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References