CU-1C-1934-06 Cud

Description

Sixth documented cud for the 1934 Lincoln Wheat Cent, this die break records a complete rim fracture from a year that marked a significant turning point in Depression-era cent production. The 1934 Philadelphia Mint struck approximately 219 million cents — a dramatic increase from the severely depressed 1932 and 1933 mintages, signaling economic recovery as New Deal programs stimulated commerce. CU-1C-1934-06 in the Cuds on Coins catalog documents the sixth distinct die that experienced a full rim separation. Six cuds for 1934 is a solid count that exceeds the totals for lower-mintage Depression dates while falling below wartime figures, directly mirroring the production volume. Each cud represents a unique metallurgical failure event where cyclic stress in the coining press propagated a fatigue crack through the die rim until a fragment separated entirely. The resulting cavity captured planchet metal during each subsequent strike, building the raised featureless mass that characterizes a cud error. The 1934 cent was struck in standard 95% copper bronze composition, the same alloy used since the series' inception in 1909. Six documented cuds from a recovery-year mintage provides useful data for understanding the relationship between production volume, die consumption rates, and the statistical probability of rim fractures across the Wheat Cent series.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Marvin L
• CU-1C-1934-06
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References