RCD-10c-1834-01R Retained Cud

Description

First reverse retained cud documented for the 1834 Capped Bust dime with Large 4 date, RCD-10c-1834-01R records a die rim failure from the pre-Civil War era of American silver coinage. The Capped Bust dime design, attributed to John Reich and William Kneass during its production run from 1809 to 1837, features Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap with a headband inscribed LIBERTY on the obverse, surrounded by thirteen stars and the date below, while the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield, olive branch, and arrows beneath the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the denomination 10 C. The "Large 4" designation identifies the specific numeral punch style used for the final digit of the 1834 date, distinguishing it from the "Small 4" variant. Philadelphia, the sole operating mint for dimes in 1834, struck approximately 635,000 pieces — a relatively modest production by later standards but substantial for the era. The retained cud formed when the reverse die rim fractured through its thickness while the broken fragment remained connected to the die body, producing the diagnostic raised displacement and crack boundary on struck coins. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no known cross-references, this variety documents die stress on early American silver coinage, where the relatively soft 89.24% silver composition created different mechanical dynamics than the harder copper-nickel alloys used for later base-metal coinage. The 01R designation indicates this is both the first and potentially sole reverse retained cud identified for the 1834 Large 4 Capped Bust dime. Collectors should examine the reverse rim under magnification for the characteristic raised displacement, noting that early American silver coins often exhibit natural rim irregularities from the primitive collar and planchet preparation technology of the 1830s that should not be confused with die-origin retained cuds.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References