1939 Lincoln Wheat Cent - CU-1C-1939-05 Cud

Description

Struck during the final full year before World War II reshaped American coinage, the 1939 Lincoln Wheat Cent bearing cud CU-1C-1939-05 captures a snapshot of pre-war Mint operations at Philadelphia. The cent's bronze composition — unchanged since 1909 — would continue only through 1942 before wartime copper conservation forced the dramatic switch to zinc-coated steel in 1943. A cud error like this one forms when accumulated stress fractures a section of the die rim, and the detached fragment leaves behind a void in the die that stamps out as a raised, blank mass on every coin struck afterward. The progression from intact die to full cud often spans thousands of impressions: initial stress cracks develop, the die fragment may break free yet stay held in place as a retained cud, sinking or sliding slightly between strikes, and finally the piece falls out entirely. Collectors pursuing Lincoln cent cuds across all compositions find the pre-war bronze issues appealing for their warm copper tones, which contrast with the stark gray appearance of wartime steel cent cuds. CU-1C-1939-05 is documented by the Cuds on Coins project and cross-referenced under its catalog designation.

Cross References

• CU-1C-1939-05

External References