RCD-1c-1953S-02R Retained Cud

Description

San Francisco's penultimate decade of cent production yielded RCD-1c-1953S-02R, the second cataloged reverse retained cud for the 1953-S Lincoln Wheat Cent. The San Francisco Mint would cease striking cents after 1955, shifting to an exclusively proof-coinage role beginning in 1968, which makes late San Francisco business-strike cents a distinct collecting niche. A retained cud develops when a die crack reaches the rim and isolates a fragment that remains trapped in the die body, impressing a raised or weakly detailed area onto every planchet it contacts. The low catalog number suggests either limited die failures for this date-mint or limited documentation — fewer researchers have systematically searched 1953-S cent populations compared to higher-profile dates. San Francisco's 1953 cent mintage of approximately 181.8 million pieces was substantial, produced on standard bronze composition. Die varieties from the final San Francisco business-strike cents carry nostalgic significance tied to the mint's transition away from circulation coinage. Cataloged and verified by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Cross reference number: none. 12/15/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References