RCD-10c-1839-01R Retained Cud

Description

Reaching back nearly two centuries, RCD-10c-1839-01R documents the first cataloged reverse retained cud on the 1839 Seated Liberty dime in the No Drapery variety — one of the earliest configurations of Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty design as it appeared on the ten-cent denomination. The "No Drapery" designation refers to the absence of drapery at Liberty's elbow, a design detail that was added later in 1840 to improve the figure's appearance and would remain for the duration of the series through 1891. Philadelphia Mint struck approximately 1.05 million Seated Liberty dimes in 1839, a modest production figure for the early years of this long-running design that would eventually span over half a century. A retained cud on a coin of this vintage is a noteworthy find — die failure documentation for pre-Civil War coinage is far less comprehensive than for 20th-century issues, and the relatively small surviving population of 1839 No Drapery dimes limits the opportunity to catalog die varieties. The retained cud indicates a section of the reverse die rim cracked and partially separated under the stress of striking but remained attached to the die body, producing a raised or distorted zone near the rim of struck coins. Unlike a full cud where the broken piece detaches and leaves a featureless blob, the retained fragment preserves some design detail in the affected area, though rendered at an altered plane or with reduced clarity. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no cross-references, RCD-10c-1839-01R represents a valuable contribution to the die failure record for early American coinage. Collectors should examine the reverse rim under 10-20x magnification with directional lighting to identify the characteristic shelf or plateau marking the retained fracture boundary.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References