1918 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - RCD-1c-1918S-02R Retained Cud

Description

Second reverse retained cud for the 1918-S Lincoln wheat cent, RCD-1c-1918S-02R records a die rim failure on a San Francisco cent struck during the final year of World War I. San Francisco produced approximately 34.68 million cents in 1918, a modest mintage that makes the date conditionally scarce in higher grades and adds significance to any documented die variety. The United States Mint operated at elevated production levels during World War I to supply coinage for the expanding wartime economy, and dies at all three facilities were worked intensively to meet demand. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln wheat cent was only nine years old by 1918, still a relatively new design that had already become America's most circulated coin denomination. A retained cud forms through the progressive die failure sequence: fatigue cracks develop near the rim where mechanical stress concentrations are highest, the fracture extends into the die face, and a section of the rim breaks free but is held in place rather than falling out. Struck coins from a die in this condition show a raised or shelf-like area near the rim where the loose fragment sat lower in the die, distinguishing the variety from both fine die cracks (which produce only thin raised lines) and full cuds (where the lost piece leaves a raised mass with no design). The modest mintage of the 1918-S means that the surviving population is smaller than later, higher-mintage dates, and documented die varieties add research value and collector interest to specimens that already carry a date premium. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no cross-references, RCD-1c-1918S-02R invites examination of the reverse rim under 10-15x magnification with directional lighting to locate the characteristic elevation transition marking the retained fracture.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 05/13/2019.

External References