1918 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - RCD-1c-1918S-01R Retained Cud

Description

Sole retained cud currently documented for the 1918-S Lincoln wheat cent by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, RCD-1c-1918S-01R records a reverse die rim failure on this World War I-era San Francisco Mint issue. The "R" suffix identifies the retained cud as appearing on the reverse side — Victor David Brenner's wheat ears design, where the two arcing wheat stalks frame ONE CENT and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA within a clean, symmetrical composition that makes rim anomalies readily apparent. San Francisco struck approximately 34.68 million cents in 1918, a wartime production level that reflected continued domestic demand for small-denomination coinage even as the nation's resources were directed toward the conflict in Europe. The dies used for 1918-S cent production were manufactured at the Philadelphia Mint and shipped to San Francisco, and any deficiencies in die steel quality or heat treatment could manifest as premature rim cracking under the repeated stress of striking the 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc planchets. A retained cud indicates the die rim fractured and the broken section came free of the die body but was held in place, sinking slightly below the surrounding surface. Each coin struck after this failure carries a raised area at the rim location corresponding to the sunken die fragment — the planchet metal flows into the depression, producing a shelf-like plateau that carries the design of the sunken piece. As the only documented retained cud for the 1918-S cent, this variety stands alone in representing die rim mortality for this date and mint facility combination. Collectors should examine the reverse rim under 10x magnification, comparing any raised or out-of-line rim areas against the level, well-defined rim sections to identify the retained cud location.

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