1801 Draped Bust Cent - 100/000 Fraction - Draped Bust Large Cent (100/000) S-221 Reverse Cud

Description

Combining two die anomalies — the 100/000 corrected fraction and a reverse cud die break — this 1801 Draped Bust large cent (Sheldon S-221) carries both on one coin. The cud is visible on the reverse just outside of "STAT" in "STATES," where a section of the die rim broke away completely, leaving a cavity that filled with metal during striking to produce a raised featureless mass. Cuds form when repeated striking forces cause fatigue fractures at the die rim, and the broken fragment separates entirely from the die body. The Sheldon S-221 reverse die was cut with the blundered fraction 1/000, and the error was corrected by punching a 1 over the first 0. The 1801 Draped Bust Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint during the earliest years of the republic, when the Mint was still developing its production capabilities and die steel quality was inconsistent. Robert Scot's Draped Bust design, introduced in 1796, featured Liberty with flowing hair and a draped bust on the obverse. Large cents of this era — approximately 29mm in diameter and struck on thick copper planchets — are collected avidly through both the Sheldon and Breen numbering systems.

Cross References

• Sheldon S-221