1864 Indian Head Cent - Copper Nickel - CU-1c-1864-11R(CN) Cud

Description

Carrying the same CU-1c-1864-11R(CN) catalog designation as the L on Ribbon variant but documented on the 1864 Indian Head Cent without the designer's L — the "Bronze No L" variety — this reverse cud presents the raised, unstruck mass along the rim from a die-edge fracture during production. The Bronze No L 1864 Indian Head Cent represents the earlier standard issue of that transitional year, struck before James Longacre's initial was added to the ribbon. The "(CN)" indicates this coin was struck on 88% copper, 12% nickel planchets prior to the mid-1864 switch to bronze — placing it in the first portion of the year's production, before both the composition change and the L addition. That two parent varieties share the same catalog code reflects the cataloging methodology: the cud designation tracks the die break rather than the parent variety, meaning the same reverse die may have been paired with obverse dies of different varieties during its service life. The 1864 transitional year produced Indian Head Cents in both copper-nickel and bronze, with and without the L, creating four combinations that collectors must carefully distinguish. Attributed by Cuds on Coins.

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