PC-1c-1940-02R Pre-Cud

Description

Second reverse pre-cud cataloged for the 1940 Lincoln wheat cent by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, PC-1c-1940-02R documents another instance of incipient die rim failure during the early years of World War II-era cent production. The pre-cud phenomenon bridges two stages of die deterioration: before the crack, the die functions normally and produces coins with clean rim definition; after the cracked section separates completely, the die produces retained cuds — dramatic raised blobs of metal where the planchet flows into the void left by the missing die fragment. Between these extremes lies the pre-cud, where the crack exists but the section holds, creating subtle rim anomalies on struck coins that represent some of the most challenging die varieties to detect. Philadelphia produced approximately 586.8 million Lincoln cents in 1940, a surge in production driven by military mobilization and expanding industrial activity as America's defense buildup accelerated ahead of direct involvement in World War II. The 02R designation places this as the second documented reverse pre-cud for the date, suggesting moderate but not exceptional die failure frequency compared to years with higher pre-cud counts. Victor David Brenner's wheat ears reverse, by 1940 in its thirty-first year of production, had become one of the most familiar designs in American commerce — and the reverse rim area where pre-cuds develop sits adjacent to the wreath and inscription elements that define the design's visual character. The mechanical forces driving pre-cud formation remain consistent across all dates: repeated striking cycles concentrate compressive stress at the die rim, eventually nucleating fatigue cracks that propagate through the die steel. Collectors searching for this variety should examine the reverse rim under magnification with angled lighting, comparing the rim profile systematically around the circumference to detect the slightly raised or displaced area that marks the pre-cud location.

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