1864 Indian Head Cent - Copper Nickel - PC-1c-1864-02R Pre-Cud

Description

Representing the second reverse pre-cud identified on the 1864 Indian Head cent copper-nickel type, PC-1c-1864-02R was cataloged by the Cuds on Coins attribution service. The naming convention follows the standard format: PC for pre-cud, 1c for the one-cent denomination, 1864 for the date, and 02R for the second reverse pre-cud. The 1864 date is a pivotal year in Indian Head cent production because it marks the transition from copper-nickel (88% copper, 12% nickel) to bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) composition — both types were struck in 1864, creating two distinct sub-types for collectors. James B. Longacre's design features Liberty wearing a feathered headdress on the obverse and an oak wreath with shield encircling ONE CENT on the reverse. The copper-nickel alloy — substantially harder than the bronze composition that replaced it — demanded greater striking force and accelerated die wear, contributing to rim-area cracking that produces pre-cuds. The transition to softer bronze in 1864 was partly motivated by the difficulty of striking the harder copper-nickel blanks, which wore dies faster and created more quality issues during production. Two documented reverse pre-cuds on the copper-nickel 1864 variety provide evidence of the die stress associated with this harder composition in its final year of production. Collectors should examine the reverse rim under 10-15x magnification for fine raised lines indicating incipient die cracks.

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