1930 (D) Lincoln Wheat Cent - RCD-1c-1930D-01R Retained Cud

Description

Cross-referenced under the Lincoln Cent die break catalog as LC-30-2R-RET, this retained cud on a 1930 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent preserves a reverse die rim fracture where the broken section came completely free of the die but was held in place rather than falling out. In a full cud, the rim fragment breaks away entirely, leaving a cavity in the die that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised mass with no design on the coin. A retained cud captures the intermediate stage — the fracture is complete, and the broken area may be slightly displaced, but it is held in place and still carries the design in the affected zone. The RCD prefix designates retained cud in the Cuds on Coins catalog, with -01R indicating this is the first documented retained cud on the reverse for the 1930-D date. The 1930-D Lincoln Wheat Cent is a key date in the series, with a mintage of only 40.1 million pieces — relatively low for a Denver Mint cent of the era. This Depression-era production level means fewer dies were required and fewer total coins struck, making die varieties from 1930-D scarcer in absolute terms than those from higher-mintage years. Victor David Brenner's Wheat Ears reverse, introduced in 1909, was in its twenty-first year of production when this die developed its rim fracture.

Cross References

• Cross reference number: LC-30-2R-RET. Cross reference number: none. 07/22/2018.

External References