RIDB-1c-1955-13 Cud

Description

Thirteenth cud documented on a 1955 Proof Lincoln Wheat Cent, RIDB-1c-1955-13 preserves a major die break at the rim where a section of the die fractured and separated entirely, leaving a void that filled with metal under striking pressure to create a raised, featureless blob along the coin's edge. The cud disrupts whatever design elements occupied that portion of the rim and adjacent field, replacing detailed engraving with an amorphous mass that stands as unmistakable evidence of catastrophic die failure. Proof Lincoln Wheat Cents from 1955 were produced at the Philadelphia Mint using specially polished dies and carefully selected planchets, yet the intense pressures required for proof manufacture — often involving multiple strikes to achieve full detail — could subject die rims to stresses that exceeded what the steel could endure. Thirteen cuds from a single year of proof production represents a notable concentration, suggesting that certain die steel batches or production parameters during 1955 may have been particularly conducive to rim fracture. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety adds to the extensive documentation of 1955 proof die failures. The 1955 date carries outsized significance in Lincoln Cent collecting due to the famous 1955 Doubled Die Obverse, arguably the most well-known error in all of American numismatics, and this same heightened collector scrutiny has resulted in thorough documentation of other varieties and errors from the same production year.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References