PC-1c-1954S-01R Pre-Cud

Description

Documented by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, PC-1c-1954S-01R records the first identified reverse pre-cud on the 1954-S Lincoln wheat cent — the San Francisco Mint issue designated by the S mintmark. The naming convention follows the standard format: PC for pre-cud, 1c for the one-cent denomination, 1954S for the San Francisco date, and 01R indicating the first reverse pre-cud cataloged. Pre-cuds represent the earliest detectable stage of rim-area die failure, where a crack has initiated in the die steel near the rim but has not yet progressed to the point of physically displacing a die fragment. On struck coins, a pre-cud appears as a subtle raised line or slight irregularity near the rim — less dramatic than a retained cud (where the cracked section shifts visibly) and far less conspicuous than a full cud (where the fragment separates entirely). San Francisco struck approximately 96.2 million cents in 1954, a moderate output that was supplemented by Philadelphia and Denver production to meet national coinage demand. The S mintmark on 1954 cents indicates San Francisco manufacture, and die performance at this facility may have differed slightly from Philadelphia due to local press configurations, operating speeds, and die maintenance practices. Victor David Brenner's wheat reverse design, entering its final years of production before the 1959 transition to the Lincoln Memorial design, provides the framework where this pre-cud manifests near the rim. As the first and only documented reverse pre-cud for the 1954-S, this variety may represent either a genuinely uncommon failure mode for this date-mint or an area where additional research could uncover further examples among the surviving population.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References