CU-1C-1943S-04 Cud

Description

Fourth in the San Francisco Mint sequence of 1943 steel cent cuds, CU-1C-1943S-04 documents another rim fracture from the facility that contributed approximately 191.55 million zinc-coated steel cents to the wartime coinage supply. Cross-referenced under its catalog designation by Cuds on Coins, this variety joins an extensive San Francisco catalog that would eventually grow to more than thirty documented cuds for the 1943-S date alone. The zinc-coated steel composition — adopted when copper was diverted to ammunition production — created a uniquely punishing striking environment because steel planchets transmitted substantially more impact energy back into the die than the standard bronze alloy. This reverse energy transfer concentrated stress at the die rim, where the thin wall of metal between the design field and the edge was most vulnerable to fatigue cracking. Each cud in the 1943-S sequence represents a distinct die and a unique fracture location around the rim circumference, and collectors attribute specific varieties by carefully matching the position, angular extent, and height of the raised featureless mass against catalog photographs and descriptions. The San Francisco Mint's 1943-S steel cents are generally considered slightly better struck than the mass-produced Philadelphia output, but superior strike quality did not protect dies from the mechanical realities of striking steel blanks, and CU-1C-1943S-04 serves as clear evidence of that universal die degradation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by G
• CU-1C-1943S-04
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References