1835 Matron Head Coronet Head Cent - Small 8, Stars - Matron Head Large Cent (Small 8, Stars) N-4 Reverse Cud

Description

On the reverse of an 1835 Matron Head Large Cent, Newcomb variety N-4 (Small 8 with Stars), this cud records a rim break where a piece of the reverse die broke away from the rim through the letters NITED in UNITED. When the broken fragment separated from the die, it left a cavity that filled with metal during subsequent strikes, producing a raised, featureless area on the coin where the missing die material could no longer impress design detail into the planchet. The cud extends from outside the rim through five letters of UNITED, indicating a substantial die fragment was lost. The Newcomb cataloging system, established by Howard R. Newcomb in 1944, provides the standard die variety attribution for large cents, and N-4 identifies the specific obverse-reverse die marriage. The "Small 8, Stars" designation means a small 8 in the date with small stars, as against the 1835 dies with a large 8 and large stars. Matron Head large cents, struck from 1816 through 1835, feature the design commonly attributed to Robert Scot with modifications by John Reich, depicting Liberty wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY. The 1835 date is the last year of this Matron Head portrait, which Gobrecht's Head of 1836 replaced partway through the year. Large cents of this era were struck on heavy copper planchets at the Philadelphia Mint, and the striking forces involved in producing these 28mm coins placed significant stress on dies, making rim breaks and cuds a documented feature of the series.

Cross References

• Newcomb N-4