RRDC-1c-1840-01 Bisecting Rim to Rim Die Crack

Description

This 1840 Braided Hair Coronet Head Cent — Small Date example carries the Cuds on Coins catalogue designation RRDC-1c-1840-01, documenting a rim-to-rim die crack that bisects the face of Liberty on the obverse. The Small Date 1840 cent is distinguished from the Large Date by the relative size and positioning of the date numerals — a difference readily apparent when compared side by side, and the first attribution step before assessing the die crack. The Braided Hair Coronet Head cent was designed by Christian Gobrecht and struck in copper from 1839 through 1857. The die crack on this Small Date die passes through Liberty's face from rim to opposing rim, approaching but not reaching the threshold for split die classification. A split die requires a crack wide enough that die-half shift produces a raised metal ridge on the coin surface; the crack here does not reach that severity. The bisecting designation captures the dramatic rim-to-rim path of the crack while acknowledging its narrower profile. This die crack developed independently from the Large Date RRDC-1c-1840-01 die, and the two should not be conflated despite sharing a catalogue number.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Redhawk on ebay
• Cross reference: none. The die crack is seen through the face of Liberty, from rim to opposing rim. While on the verge of being a split die, the width of the die crack is too small to classify it as such. 02/01/2014.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References