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

Description

Cross-referenced as LC-30-1R-RET in the broader Lincoln cent die failure catalog, this RCD-1c-1930-01R retained cud documents the first cataloged reverse rim fracture with retained die fragment on the 1930 Philadelphia Lincoln wheat cent. Philadelphia struck approximately 157.4 million cents in 1930, a year when the early effects of the Great Depression were beginning to reduce commercial demand for circulating coinage. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait obverse — entering its third decade of production — paired with the familiar wheat ears reverse that would continue until the 1959 switch to Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial design. A retained cud forms through a progressive die failure sequence: first, fatigue cracks develop in the die steel near the rim; next, a section of die breaks free along the crack line; finally, the fractured piece is held in place by the surrounding die body rather than falling out. Coins struck from a die in this condition exhibit a raised plateau or slightly offset area near the rim where the loose die fragment still imparts its design. The retained nature distinguishes this variety from a full cud, where the broken piece drops out completely and leaves a plain raised blob of metal on the coin. The cross-reference LC-30-1R-RET connects this Cuds on Coins catalog entry to alternative attribution systems that document the same die failure, providing collectors with multiple avenues for researching the variety. Examination should focus on the reverse rim area under 5-10x magnification, looking for the characteristic raised or depressed shelf-like area that marks where the retained die fragment disrupted normal metal flow during the striking process.

Cross References

• Cross reference number: LC-30-1R-RET.

External References