RCD-1c-1863-04R Retained Cud

Description

Fourth retained cud cataloged for the 1863 Indian Head cent reverse by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, RCD-1c-1863-04R documents another instance of advanced die failure during Civil War-era cent production. The designation follows the standard format: RCD for retained cud, 1c for the one-cent denomination, 1863 for the date, and 04R indicating the fourth reverse retained cud identified. James B. Longacre's Indian Head cent — featuring Liberty in a feathered headdress on the obverse and an oak wreath with shield encircling ONE CENT on the reverse — was produced in the copper-nickel composition (88% copper, 12% nickel) that characterized the series from 1860 through 1864. Philadelphia struck approximately 49.84 million Indian Head cents in 1863, a significant increase from the prior year driven by wartime demand for small denomination coinage as gold and silver coins vanished from circulation through hoarding. Retained cuds represent the penultimate stage of die failure — between pre-cuds (incipient cracks) and full cuds or shattered dies (complete fragmentation). The die has cracked near the rim and a fragment has begun to separate, but it remains partially connected, producing a raised shelf or mass of metal on struck coins as the planchet metal fills the widening gap created by the separating fragment. Four documented reverse retained cuds for 1863, combined with the ten pre-cuds also cataloged for this date (under the PC designation), demonstrates aggressive die deterioration across the production run. The harder copper-nickel alloy imposed elevated stress on working dies during striking, and the wartime production pressure likely extended die service periods beyond ideal replacement points, allowing more dies to reach the retained cud stage of failure.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Roth3806 on ebay
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References