CU-1C-1953S-04R Cud

Description

Fourth documented reverse cud on the 1953 San Francisco Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety records yet another instance of die rim failure on an S-mint cent from the early 1950s. The cud formed when a section of the reverse die rim fractured completely and separated, with the resulting cavity filling with planchet metal during subsequent strikes to produce a raised, featureless mass at the coin's edge. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with the cross-reference CU-1C-1953S-04R, this is one of four reverse cuds known for the 1953-S date. San Francisco's cent production in the early 1950s was smaller than Philadelphia or Denver output, making the presence of four documented reverse cuds noteworthy relative to the total number of coins struck. The 1953-S cent was produced during the Korean War era, when military spending drove demand for circulating coinage across all denominations. Victor David Brenner's wheat ears reverse was in its forty-fourth year of continuous production, and the die steel carrying this well-worn design was subject to the same mechanical fatigue processes that caused rim fractures at all three mints. S-mint Wheat Cent errors from the 1950s carry added collector appeal because San Francisco would cease cent production after 1955, making these varieties part of the closing chapter of San Francisco's Wheat Cent era.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• CU-1C-1953S-04R
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References