CU-1C-1945S-03 Cud

Description

Third cataloged cud for the 1945 San Francisco Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, CU-1C-1945S-03 documents a rim fracture occurring during the final year of World War II. The 1945 cent was struck on the same recycled shell casing brass composition used in 1944 — approximately 70% copper and 30% zinc — salvaged from spent military ammunition casings, giving these cents a slightly different color and luster compared to pre-war bronze cents. San Francisco produced approximately 181.77 million cents in 1945, and the S mintmark below the date identifies this variety's origin from the facility that had been in operation since the California Gold Rush era. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1945S-03 by Cuds on Coins, the cud formed when a die rim section broke away completely during production, leaving a void that the shell casing brass filled under striking pressure to create the characteristic raised featureless mass. Collectors sometimes note that 1944-1945 "shell case" cents have a subtly different appearance under magnification compared to standard bronze — a slightly more yellow tone and occasionally visible traces of the different alloy mixture. The three documented cuds for the 1945-S date represent a modest but meaningful catalog of rim failures, and CU-1C-1945S-03 provides die break specialists with another example of wartime die degradation on cents from the San Francisco facility.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Joe Tamasco
• CU-1C-1945S-03
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References