PC-1c-1837-05 Pre-Cud

Description

Fifth documented pre-cud for the 1837 Modified Matron Head Coronet Head Cent in the Small Letters variety, this specimen was cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no cross-references (dated 02/17/2025). Unlike the PC-1c-1837-01R variety which appears on the Plain Cords, Medium Letters subtype, this fifth pre-cud is attributed to the Plain Cords, Small Letters die variant — an important distinction within the 1837 Coronet Head Cent production, where multiple letter size punches were used across different die pairings. Pre-cuds document the early stage of die rim failure where a crack has formed but the fractured section has not yet separated from the die body. Five pre-cuds across the 1837 date's die variants suggests that the dies used for this year were particularly susceptible to rim cracking, possibly due to the hardening and tempering processes used at the Philadelphia Mint during the late 1830s. The Modified Matron Head design, a refinement of the earlier Matron Head by Christian Gobrecht, was struck from 1835 through 1839 as part of the final generation of large copper cents before the transition to the Braided Hair design in 1839. The 02/17/2025 catalog date indicates this is a recently documented variety, showing that new discoveries on early American copper continue to emerge nearly two centuries after the coins were struck.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Anna Antunez
• Cross reference: None. 02/17/2025.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References