1858 Flying Eagle Cent - Small Letters - Flying Eagle Cent (Small Letters) Reverse Rim Cud (12 to 4 o'clock)

Description

Spanning from 12 o'clock to 4 o'clock on the reverse, this long rim cud on an 1858 Flying Eagle cent (Small Letters variety) follows the reverse rim across its upper right quarter. James B. Longacre's design featuring an eagle in flight on the obverse and an agricultural wreath on the reverse represented America's first small-format cent, replacing the large copper cents that had been struck since 1793. The 1858 issue exists in two major subtypes: Large Letters and Small Letters, referring to the size of the obverse legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. This cud appears on the Small Letters subtype. A rim cud of this length -- covering roughly one-third of the reverse circumference -- represents the loss of a long stretch of the die's rim gutter, yet the die continued in service long enough to strike at least some coins before being pulled. On the coin it appears as a raised interruption in the design rim that tracks the rim's course.