CU-1C-1957-06 Cud

Description

With only two years remaining before the wheat reverse would be retired forever, the 1957 Lincoln cent was entering the twilight of a 49-year design run — and CU-1C-1957-06 preserves a cud from the penultimate year. Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse would replace the wheat ears beginning in 1959, making every 1957 and 1958 cent among the last struck with Victor David Brenner's original reverse design. Philadelphia produced approximately 282 million cents in 1957, a moderate output that placed normal demands on the die shop. Six documented cuds for the date reflects a typical failure rate for bronze cent production, where the soft planchet composition minimizes die stress but cannot eliminate it entirely. A cud on a late-series wheat cent holds particular appeal for collectors who pursue the design type, as these final-years-of-issue pieces carry a valedictory quality. The bronze composition — standard 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc — had served the Lincoln cent since its debut in 1909 and would continue unchanged through the Memorial reverse era. CU-1C-1957-06 is documented by the Cuds on Coins project and cross-referenced under its catalog designation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• CU-1C-1957-06
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References