PC-1c-1935D-01R Pre-Cud

Description

Documented by Cuds on Coins under the designation PC-1c-1935D-01R, this pre-cud variety was struck at the Denver Mint during 1935 — a year when the nation was still deep in the grip of the Great Depression, though coin production was beginning to recover from the drastically reduced mintages of the early 1930s. A pre-cud captures the developmental stage of a die failure before the crack has propagated far enough to cause a section of the die face to fracture away. The raised line visible on the struck coin traces the path of the internal fissure within the die steel, documenting the progressive weakening that precedes a full break. As the first and only pre-cud cataloged for the 1935-D Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety represents a solitary snapshot of die deterioration for the date. Denver's cent production during the mid-1930s reflected the gradual economic recovery underway as New Deal programs expanded industrial activity and demand for circulating coinage increased. The standard bronze composition of 95% copper and 5% tin-zinc was in use, the same alloy that had served the Lincoln cent since its 1909 debut. For collectors of Depression-era die varieties, the 1935-D pre-cud provides an accessible entry point into a segment of the Wheat Cent series defined by historical hardship and numismatic scarcity.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Keith Christenson
• Cross reference: none. 09/24/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References