RCD-1c-1935-02R Retained Cud

Description

Cross-referenced as LC-35-3RA in the established Lincoln cent cud numbering system, the RCD-1c-1935-02R is a retained cud variety discovered on the 1935 Lincoln wheat cent. A retained cud forms when a portion of the die rim cracks but the detached fragment stays lodged in position rather than falling away, producing a raised area on struck coins that differs from a standard cud by preserving partial underlying design detail within the displaced zone. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln cent obverse, with its bold portrait and peripheral inscriptions including LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST, provides multiple design elements along the rim that can be affected by retained cud formations. Philadelphia struck approximately 245.4 million cents in 1935, a Depression-era production run that supplied circulating coinage to a recovering economy. The LC-35-3RA cross-reference connects this variety to the established Lincoln cent cud numbering system maintained by researchers who have systematically cataloged die breaks across the entire wheat cent series from 1909 through 1958. Retained cuds develop under specific mechanical conditions during the striking process: the die rim must fracture with enough structural integrity remaining to hold the broken piece in approximate alignment, while the coining pressure pushes the fragment slightly outward with each successive strike, progressively widening the displacement. Distinguishing a retained cud from post-strike rim damage requires examination under magnification — a genuine retained cud will show a consistent raised area with displaced but recognizable design elements and a sharp boundary line tracing the original fracture path, whereas damage exhibits irregular surfaces without the systematic displacement pattern.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Charity & Chris Welch
• Cross reference number: LC-35-3RA
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References