1863 Indian Head Cent - RCD-1C-1863-19R Retained Cud

Description

Nineteenth in the reverse retained cud census for the 1863 Indian Head cent, RCD-1C-1863-19R documents an advanced stage of die failure where a fractured rim segment has broken free of the die body but is held in place, sinking slightly so that planchet metal flows up into the gap and forms a raised plateau. Retained cuds represent the intermediate phase between pre-cuds (where the crack exists but the die fragment is still part of the die) and full cuds (where the fragment has fallen out entirely, creating a raised mass with no design). In a retained cud, the broken die piece is held in approximate position, usually by the collar, but it is loose and sinks or slides under the strike, allowing planchet metal to flow into the space it leaves and creating a raised area that still carries the original design on top. James B. Longacre's Indian Head cent, featuring Liberty wearing a Native American feathered headdress, was struck in copper-nickel composition during 1860-1864, an alloy harder than the later bronze adopted in mid-1864. Philadelphia produced approximately 49.84 million Indian Head cents in 1863, the third year of the Civil War, when coin hoarding had become severe enough to prompt the introduction of fractional currency paper notes as substitutes for scarce small change. Nineteen documented reverse retained cuds for 1863 represents a remarkably deep census, suggesting the hard copper-nickel planchets imposed substantial die stress. The Cuds on Coins attribution service cross-referenced this variety under the same RCD-1C-1863-19R designation. Collectors can identify retained cuds by the distinctive combination of raised rim-area metal that still carries its design, sitting as a plateau above or out of line with the surrounding detail — typically visible at 5-10x magnification without requiring high-power examination.

Cross References

• RCD-1C-1863-19R

External References