UDC-1c-1940S-01 Unusual Die Crack

Description

Classified as a bisecting rim to rim die crack with the "RRDC" notation, this unusual die crack on a 1940 San Francisco Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent traces a distinctive path along the lower part of Lincoln's bust, entering the rim below the front of the bust and terminating at the other end under the letter I of LIBERTY. The "unusual" classification distinguishes this from standard die cracks because its path follows an unexpected trajectory — rather than running through open field areas or along predictable stress lines, the crack traces the contour of Lincoln's bust in a way that is atypical of normal die fatigue patterns. The rim-to-rim characteristic means the crack spans the entire die from one edge to the other, a more advanced stage of failure than cracks that terminate within the design field. The 1940-S Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the San Francisco Mint during the pre-war period, with a mintage of approximately 112.9 million pieces. San Francisco's cent production in 1940 employed numerous die pairs, and this particular die developed a fracture that followed the sculptural relief of Lincoln's bust rather than crossing through flat field areas. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with a designation of UDC-1c-1940S-01, the unusual die crack classification highlights fracture patterns that deviate from the standard die crack taxonomy, providing researchers with documentation of how die steel can fail in unexpected ways under the mechanical stresses of high-volume coin production.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References