CU-1C-1802-03 Cud

Description

Third documented cud for the 1802 Draped Bust Cent with the 1/000 fraction, this die break adds to the growing census of rim failures on one of the more heavily studied early large cent dates. Cud errors on early American copper coinage are particularly valued by specialists because they document the extreme demands placed on primitive die steel at the Philadelphia Mint during the republic's early decades. Each large cent required substantial striking force to fully impress the deep-relief Draped Bust obverse and wreath reverse into the oversized copper planchet, and the hand-operated screw presses of the era subjected dies to intense mechanical shock with every impression. The 1802 date is further distinguished by the 1/000 fraction variety, where the die engraver inadvertently tripled the zero in the fractional denomination, creating a production anomaly that collectors can combine with cud attribution for a multi-layered die variety classification. Cross-referenced as CU-1C-1802-03 and cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this third cud joins four other documented rim breaks for the date, collectively illustrating the challenging production conditions that characterized early American coinage at the turn of the nineteenth century.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Friscomint1793 on eBay
• CU-1C-1802-03
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References