CU-1C-1927D-01 Rim Cud

Description

Die manufacturing in the 1920s relied on a process that began with master hubs and progressed through working hubs and working dies, each stage introducing the possibility of imperfections that could predispose a die to premature failure. CU-1C-1927D-01, the first cataloged rim cud for the 1927 Denver Lincoln Wheat cent, documents a fracture that may trace its origins to the die's creation as much as to its operational use. Working dies were produced by impressing hardened hubs into softened die blanks under hydraulic pressure, then heat-treating the resulting die to achieve the hardness needed for striking. Inconsistencies in the steel alloy, incomplete annealing, or excessive force during hubbing could all introduce subsurface flaws that later developed into cracks under the stress of production striking. Denver struck 27.17 million cents in 1927, another modest output year that nonetheless required continuous die rotation. As the first documented cud for this date and mint, CU-1C-1927D-01 holds the baseline position in the CudsOnCoins catalog, indicating it was the earliest reported rim break verified for the 1927-D cent.

Attribution History

• CU-1C-1927D-01
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References