CU-1C-1952S-01 Rim Cud

Description

Cross-referenced to the Hardy catalog as JCc-52D_249, this 1952-S Lincoln wheat cent rim cud was documented by Cuds on Coins with a listing date of October 1, 2013. The Hardy cross-reference connects CU-1C-1952S-01 to Dr. James Hardy's comprehensive Lincoln cent die crack and cud catalog, providing researchers an alternate entry point for studying this die break within the broader context of 1952-S cent die progression data. The 1952-S wheat cent was struck at the San Francisco Mint with a production of 137.8 million pieces, a moderate mintage that falls in the middle range for S-mint wheat cents of the early 1950s. San Francisco cent production during this period served primarily the western United States, and the mint would continue striking cents through 1955 before focusing increasingly on proof coin production. As the sole documented rim cud for the 1952-S date, CU-1C-1952S-01 holds the distinction of being the only cataloged die break of this type for its specific date and mintmark combination. Victor David Brenner's wheat reverse, by 1952 in its 43rd year of production, had become the longest-serving reverse design for any circulating U.S. denomination at that time. The familiar wheat stalks, ONE CENT, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA legends were struck from dies that experienced the cumulative fatigue of high-volume production, and rim cuds represent the most dramatic manifestation of that stress. The S mintmark, hand-punched into each working die by San Francisco Mint engravers, provides an additional point of die-specific study alongside the cud itself, as the mintmark's exact position and orientation can vary between dies.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• CU-1C-1952S-01; JCc-52D_249. 10/01/2013.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References