CU-1C-1954D-02R Cud

Description

Second documented reverse cud on a 1954 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, this die break formed when a portion of the reverse die rim fractured completely and separated from the die body. The void left by the missing rim section filled with bronze planchet metal under the pressure of striking, producing the raised, featureless mass that defines a cud error. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with the cross-reference CU-1C-1954D-02R, this variety documents die rim failure on a mid-1950s Denver Mint cent. The 1954-D was produced during the post-Korean War period, when the Denver Mint continued its substantial cent production to supply commercial channels across the western United States. Victor David Brenner's wheat ears reverse was in its forty-fifth year of continuous production, with only four more years remaining before the 1959 transition to the Memorial reverse. Two reverse cuds for the 1954-D date indicate that at least two separate reverse dies experienced complete rim fracture during that year's Denver production run. Die rim fractures result from accumulated mechanical stress — each striking cycle subjects the die rim to compressive and shear forces as it constrains metal flow and forms the coin's edge, and repeated cycling eventually propagates fatigue cracks through the die steel until a rim section separates. Error collectors value Denver Mint Wheat Cent cuds for their combination of die variety interest and the D mintmark's appeal.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• CU-1C-1954D-02R
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References