CU-1c-1837-01 Cud

Description

Bearing the Modified Matron Head design with Beaded Cords — a subtype introduced when Christian Gobrecht refined the earlier Coronet design — this 1837 large cent carries the first cataloged cud for its date. A cud forms when a piece of the die rim fractures and separates entirely, leaving a cavity that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised featureless area at the coin's edge. The Beaded Cords subtype refers to the beaded decoration on the hair cords of Liberty's portrait, distinguishing Gobrecht's modification from the earlier Plain Cords version. Large cents of this era were struck on heavy copper planchets at the Philadelphia Mint, the only operating facility, using screw presses that placed substantial mechanical stress on the working dies. The 1837 date sits within the final decade of large cent production before the denomination was reduced in size in 1857. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, CU-1c-1837-01 documents die rim failure on pre-Civil War copper coinage, a period when die steel quality and manufacturing techniques were still evolving. Cuds on early copper are prized by specialists who collect die varieties across the Newcomb and Breen numbering systems.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Friscomint1793 on eBay
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References