1940 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - RCD-1c-1940S-09R & 10R Retained Cud

Description

Among the earliest cataloged retained cuds for the prolific 1940-S Lincoln Wheat Cent, RCD-1c-1940S-09R carries a low catalog number that often signals a variety discovered in the initial survey of a date's die failures. Early numbers in the Cuds on Coins system typically represent specimens identified during the foundational documentation effort, when researchers first examined a date and mint for die break evidence. A retained cud forms when a rim-directed fatigue crack fractures a die fragment completely free while leaving it mechanically lodged, so that every subsequent strike impresses the trapped piece's profile as a raised mass. San Francisco, established during the 1854 Gold Rush, produced Lincoln cents with generally lower mintages than Philadelphia, making S-mint varieties scarcer in absolute population. The 1940-S is remarkable for over 86 cataloged retained cuds, suggesting that die steel batches or production conditions during 1940 were particularly susceptible to rim fractures. Struck in 95% copper with 5% tin-and-zinc, this cent preserves evidence of early die deterioration from a facility soon redirected toward wartime priorities.

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