CU-1C-1919-02 Cud

Description

Second documented cud for the 1919 Lincoln Wheat Cent, this die break records a complete rim fracture from the immediate post-World War I era. The war ended in November 1918, and the 1919 Philadelphia Mint cent was produced during the economic transition to peacetime, with a mintage of approximately 392 million — a substantial increase over wartime levels as commercial activity rebounded. CU-1C-1919-02 in the Cuds on Coins catalog marks the second distinct die that developed a full rim separation for this date. A cud forms when cyclic striking forces propagate a fatigue crack through the die rim until a fragment separates entirely, and the resulting void fills with planchet metal to produce the characteristic raised featureless area. The 1919 cent was struck in the standard 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc bronze composition on planchets weighing 3.11 grams. Two cuds for 1919 is a modest count consistent with what has been documented for most individual Wheat Cent dates — substantially below the extraordinary concentrations found on high-stress dates like 1943 but typical for a date with normal production conditions. The post-war economic context of 1919 includes the return of soldiers and the beginning of the consumer boom that would define the Roaring Twenties.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Marvin L
• CU-1C-1919-02
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References