1804 Draped Bust Half Cent - Spiked Chin - Draped Bust Half Cent (Spiked Chin) Cud

Description

A cud error accompanies the Spiked Chin variety on this 1804 Draped Bust half cent, pairing two significant die characteristics in a single coin. The cud results from a die break at the rim, leaving a raised featureless mass at the edge where the fractured die segment no longer impressed the intended design. The Spiked Chin variety itself is a well-documented die state of the 1804 half cent, identified by a prominent spike extending from Liberty's chin, caused by damage to the die — a detail studied by early American copper specialists since the nineteenth century. The 1804 Draped Bust half cent is catalogued in Cohen's American Half Cents and is a standard reference date for specialists in early U.S. copper coinage.