CU-1C-1944S-03 Rim Cud

Description

Struck on planchets punched from recycled brass cartridge cases, this 1944-S Lincoln cent carries a rim cud cataloged as CU-1C-1944S-03. The wartime shell-case brass composition — approximately 70% copper, with the balance in zinc and trace tin — replaced the standard pre-war bronze alloy as the U.S. Mint diverted strategic metals to the war effort. This altered alloy behaved differently under the coining press: its hardness, ductility, and flow characteristics departed from the bronze formulation that die makers had calibrated for since 1909. Whether shell-case composition contributed to accelerated die wear remains debated, but three cataloged cuds for the 1944-S cent suggest rim fractures occurred at a meaningful rate during San Francisco's wartime production. The "03" suffix places this as the third confirmed rim break for the date, following two previously documented failures on other working dies. San Francisco struck over 282 million cents in 1944, massive output driven by wartime demand, and the sheer number of dies consumed provided ample opportunity for rim-reaching fractures to develop.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• CU-1C-1944S-03
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References