CU-1C-1801-03 Cud

Description

Third cud documented for the 1801 Draped Bust Cent with the 1/000 fraction, this rim die break represents another instance of die failure during early American large cent production at the Philadelphia Mint. The Draped Bust obverse by Robert Scot depicted Liberty with flowing hair and drapery, paired with a wreath reverse that together required deep-relief strikes on oversized copper planchets — a combination that pushed the limits of early nineteenth-century die steel technology. The 1801 large cent production was comparatively small, with an estimated output of approximately 1.36 million pieces, yet the demands of hand-press coinage were severe enough to generate multiple documented die rim failures. When a die rim fractures and a fragment detaches, the resulting cavity fills with metal during each subsequent strike, producing the characteristic raised featureless blob that collectors classify as a cud. The 1/000 fraction on this date indicates a blundered die where the fraction denominator was engraved with three zeros instead of the correct two. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1801-03 and cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety contributes to the early copper die failure census that traces production challenges at America's only Mint during its first decade of operations.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Friscomint1793 on eBay
• CU-1C-1801-03
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References