RCD-1c-1955-12R Retained Cud

Description

Twelfth reverse retained cud documented for the 1955 Lincoln wheat cent, RCD-1c-1955-12R cataloged by the Cuds on Coins attribution service records another die failure on one of the most collectible dates in the wheat cent series. The 1955 date is most famous for the dramatic DDO-001 (Doubled Die Obverse), one of the most recognized error coins in American numismatics, but the die variety documentation for 1955 extends far beyond that single headline variety to encompass numerous die breaks, cuds, and retained cuds across the production run. Philadelphia struck approximately 330.6 million cents in 1955, a moderate output that consumed significant die inventories over the course of the year. A retained cud on the reverse indicates a die crack that progressed from the rim inward through the wheat ear or inscription design elements, partially separating a die fragment that shifted during subsequent strikes but remained attached to the die body. The resulting coins display a raised, subtly distorted zone near the rim where the affected design elements appear displaced from their normal positions. Twelve documented reverse retained cuds for the 1955 date suggests that multiple reverse dies experienced advancing rim fractures during the production campaign, each cracking at unique positions around the die periphery and producing distinct retained cud configurations. Victor David Brenner's wheat reverse was entering its final years by 1955 — the design would be replaced by Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse in 1959 — and retained cuds from these late wheat cent dates preserve evidence of die performance during the design's concluding production era. Collectors should examine the reverse rim carefully under moderate magnification, looking for the characteristic raised and displaced zone that distinguishes a retained cud from normal rim irregularities.

Attribution History

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

External References