CU-1C-1803-06R Cud

Description

Sixth reverse cud documented on the 1803 Draped Bust Cent (Small Date, Large Fraction variety), CU-1C-1803-06R records a die failure on one of the earliest large copper cent dates in the American series. Robert Scot's Draped Bust design, featuring Liberty with flowing hair and a draped bust, was produced from 1796 through 1807 at the Philadelphia Mint — the only operating mint facility in the early Republic. The 1803 Small Date, Large Fraction sub-variety is distinguished by the size of the date numerals and the fraction "1/100" at the bottom of the reverse, variations that resulted from the use of different punches on different working dies. Total 1803 large cent production reached 3,131,691 pieces, struck entirely at Philadelphia. Cuds on early American copper cents are particularly significant because the hand-operated screw presses used at the turn of the nineteenth century generated inconsistent striking force, and the relatively soft die steel of the era was prone to fracturing. Six documented reverse cuds on the 1803 Draped Bust Cent represent a substantial count for any early American date, reflecting both the systematic search effort by Cuds on Coins and the vulnerability of early dies to rim failures. Each surviving cud from this era documents a specific moment of die failure at the nascent United States Mint, making these varieties forensic artifacts of early American industrial metalworking.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Friscomint1793 on eBay
• CU-1C-1803-06R
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References