CU-1C-1943S-02 Cud

Description

Second documented cud for the 1943 San Francisco Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, this rim die break belongs to the only year in which U.S. cents were struck on zinc-coated steel planchets — a wartime emergency measure adopted when copper was diverted to military production during World War II. The San Francisco Mint struck over 191 million steel cents in 1943, using dies that endured considerably more stress than usual because the steel planchets were substantially harder than the standard bronze composition. A cud forms when a piece of the die rim breaks away completely, creating a void that fills with metal during striking and leaves a raised, featureless blob at the edge of the finished coin. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1943S-02 and cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety represents an early entry in what became a substantial list of rim failures for the 1943-S date. The S mintmark identifies San Francisco production, and steel cents from all three mints (Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco) are actively collected both as a type and for die varieties. The distinctive silver-gray appearance of steel cents makes them instantly recognizable in any group of Lincoln Wheat Cents.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry King
• CU-1C-1943S-02
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References