1838 Modified Matron Head Coronet Head Cent - RCD-1c-1838-01R Retained Cud

Description

Reaching back into the pre-Civil War era of American coinage, RCD-1c-1838-01R records a reverse retained cud on the 1838 Modified Matron Head Coronet Head cent — a design attributed to Christian Gobrecht's modification of Robert Scot's original Matron Head large cent. The designation follows the standard naming convention: RCD for retained cud, 1c for the one-cent denomination, 1838 for the date, and 01R numbering the entry, with R marking the reverse. The Modified Matron Head Coronet Head cent series (1835-1839) represents a transitional design period in U.S. large cent production, bridging the earlier Matron Head type and the subsequent Braided Hair design that would follow in 1839-1857. Only the Philadelphia Mint struck large cents, substantial copper coins about 28 to 29 mm in diameter, that circulated heavily in everyday commerce. Retained cuds develop when a working die cracks near the rim and a fragment breaks completely free but is held in position by the collar or surrounding die structure, creating a raised mass of displaced metal on the struck coin corresponding to the loose die fragment. On the large cent's reverse — featuring a wreath encircling ONE CENT — a rim-area retained cud would manifest as a raised blob or shelf of metal extending from the rim inward toward the wreath or denomination.

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