1858 Flying Eagle Cent (Small Letters) Reverse Rim Cud (6 to 9 o'clock)

Description

Covering the lower-left quadrant of the reverse from 6 o'clock to 9 o'clock, this rim cud on an 1858 Flying Eagle Cent in the Small Letters variety documents a massive die failure on one of America's earliest small cent designs. The Flying Eagle Cent, designed by James B. Longacre and produced for regular circulation only in 1857 and 1858, was the first small-format cent issued by the United States Mint, replacing the large copper cents that had been struck since 1793. A cud extending across a full quarter of the reverse rim represents a catastrophic die break where a substantial arc of the die rim fractured and separated entirely, leaving a deep cavity that filled with metal during striking. The resulting raised, featureless mass obliterates the laurel wreath design and any inscriptions within the affected sector, replacing them with a smooth, rounded blob of metal. This cud's position from 6 to 9 o'clock places it on the lower-left portion of the reverse, complementing the separately documented 2-to-5 o'clock cud that affected the lower-right area of 1858 Small Letters reverses — suggesting that the reverse die rims on this issue were particularly prone to fracture. Flying Eagle Cents were struck on copper-nickel planchets, and the hardness of this alloy required substantial striking pressure that accelerated die wear and rim stress. The Small Letters variety is one of two reverse types for the 1858 date, distinguished by the size of the AMERICA and denomination lettering from the competing Large Letters variety.