1801 Draped Bust Cent - CU-1c-1801-03 & 04R Cud

Description

CU-1c-1801-03, a cud on an 1801 Draped Bust Cent, records 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. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1801-03 and cataloged by Cuds on Coins.

Cross References

• CU-1C-1801-03

External References