RCD-1c-1952S-08R Retained Cud

Description

Representing the late Wheat Cent era, RCD-1c-1952S-08R is documented by Cuds on Coins as a retained cud from the 1952 San Francisco Lincoln cent. By the early 1950s, San Francisco's role in cent production was winding down — the facility would cease striking cents entirely after 1955, making every S-mint Wheat Cent from this period part of a finite and collectible group. The 1952-S cent was struck from the post-war composition of 95% copper and 5% zinc, the shell-casing-derived alloy that replaced the original tin-bearing bronze during the war years. A retained cud on this issue represents a die that cracked through to the rim with the fractured segment held in the die cavity, impressing a raised irregular mass onto each coin produced before the die was replaced. The eighth documented retained cud for the 1952-S date indicates that even at reduced production volumes, San Francisco experienced meaningful die failures. For collectors, the convergence of a retained cud error with a late-date S-mint Wheat Cent creates a doubly appealing variety — one combining die failure interest with the scarcity premium that attaches to San Francisco cents from the denomination's twilight years.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References