RCD-1c-1942-06R Retained Cud

Description

Sixth reverse retained cud documented for the 1942 Lincoln wheat cent by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, RCD-1c-1942-06R captures a die rim fracture from the final year of standard bronze cent production before the wartime steel cent experiment of 1943. Philadelphia struck approximately 657.8 million cents in 1942, an enormous production volume driven by wartime economic expansion as military spending and industrial mobilization increased the demand for circulating coinage. Six distinct reverse retained cuds for a single pre-war date represents a notable accumulation of die failures, though far fewer than the extraordinary numbers documented for the subsequent 1943 steel cent production — a comparison that illustrates the significant difference in die wear rates between bronze and steel planchet compositions. The 1942 cent is struck on the standard 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc bronze alloy, which imposes substantially less mechanical stress on working dies than the zinc-coated steel that would replace it in 1943. Each retained cud in the 1942 census represents an independent reverse die where the rim cracked but the fractured segment remained attached, producing a raised irregular swelling on struck coins. The "06R" designation indicates this is the sixth such die identified, with each variety carrying a unique rim position and fracture geometry. Victor David Brenner's wheat reverse design, with its stalks, kernels, and peripheral inscriptions, provides the design context for these rim formations. Collectors should examine the reverse rim under 8-12x magnification for any raised area that interrupts the normally sharp rim contour, noting that the specific location distinguishing variety 06R from the five previously cataloged varieties is documented in the Cuds on Coins registry.

Attribution History

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

External References