1912 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent Cud (Obverse 8:00–10:30, Multiple)

Description

Five separate cud segments — one medium, one large, and three small — span the obverse rim from 8:00 to 10:30 on this 1912 San Francisco Lincoln wheat cent, documenting extensive die rim deterioration across a 75-degree arc. Cuds form when sections of the die rim fracture and break away, leaving voids in the die face that fill with metal during striking to produce raised, irregular blobs on the finished coin. Multiple cuds on a single specimen indicate the die continued in service as progressive rim failure removed section after section, with each break potentially occurring at different points in the die's production life. The five-segment pattern — medium, large, and three small — suggests the rim deterioration proceeded unevenly, with some fractures propagating more extensively than others depending on local stress concentrations, die metallurgy variations, and the cumulative impact of repeated striking cycles. The 1912-S Lincoln cent carries a mintage of 4,431,000 pieces, making it a lower-mintage early date in the wheat cent series where fewer working dies were employed compared to later high-production years. The 8:00 to 10:30 position on the obverse corresponds roughly to the area from Lincoln's shoulder and coat up through LIBERTY and toward the rim above his head — a zone where the die's structural integrity must resist the outward metal flow of each strike. Specimens showing this degree of multi-segment rim failure represent late-stage die production and are scarce relative to the overall 1912-S population.