PC-1C-1863-20R Pre-Cud

Description

Twentieth pre-cud documented for the 1863 Indian Head cent by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, PC-1C-1863-20R records a die rim fracture on a coin from one of the Civil War-era's most prolific cent production years. The catalog designation breaks down systematically: PC for pre-cud, 1C for the one-cent denomination, 1863 for the date, 20 as the sequential variety number, and the R suffix indicating the crack appears on the reverse die. The self-referential cross-reference "PC-1C-1863-20R" confirms the primary attribution within the Cuds on Coins system. James B. Longacre's Indian Head cent was struck on copper-nickel planchets (88% copper, 12% nickel) during 1863, a composition adopted in 1859 that would continue through 1864 before the transition to bronze. Philadelphia produced approximately 49.84 million Indian Head cents in 1863, an enormous wartime output driven by the hoarding crisis that had removed virtually all gold and silver coins from circulation — even copper-nickel cents commanded premiums, and private tokens flooded commerce as substitutes. The remarkably deep pre-cud census for 1863 — with at least twenty documented varieties on the reverse alone — reflects the intense die usage demanded by this massive production volume combined with the mechanical stress of striking the relatively hard copper-nickel alloy. Pre-cuds capture die rim fractures at the incipient stage before the cracked segment separates to create a full cud (retained die break), and twenty documented reverse pre-cuds for a single date speaks to the systematic die fatigue experienced across Philadelphia's coining operations during this demanding production year. Collectors should examine the reverse rim under 10-15x magnification for a raised irregular ridge tracing the die crack's path from the rim into the adjacent wreath design elements.

Attribution History

• PC-1C-1863-20R
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References