1945 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - CU-1C-1945S-04 Cud

Description

Fourth cud documented for the 1945 San Francisco Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety was struck during the final full year of World War II using recycled brass shell casing metal — the composition adopted in 1944 after the steel cent experiment of 1943 proved problematic. San Francisco produced over 181 million cents in 1945, a wartime production level driven by civilian demand as the economy operated at full capacity. A cud forms when a section of the die rim fractures and separates completely, creating a void that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised featureless mass at the edge of the coin. The shell-casing composition used from 1944 through 1946 was 95% copper and 5% zinc, with no tin, and its metallurgical properties differed slightly from the standard pre-war bronze, potentially affecting die wear characteristics. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1945S-04 and cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this fourth cud for the 1945-S date documents another instance of rim failure during the later stages of wartime production. Four cuds from a single San Francisco date represents a moderate count — significantly fewer than the dozens known for the 1943 steel cent dates, consistent with the softer brass composition reducing die stress compared to the steel substrate.

Cross References

• CU-1C-1945S-04

External References