PC-1c-1864-04R Pre-Cud

Description

Entered into the Cuds on Coins registry on May 31, 2019, the PC-1c-1864-04R is a pre-cud variety found on the 1864 Indian Head cent with the "L on Ribbon" design variant — the version bearing James B. Longacre's initial "L" on the lower ribbon of Liberty's headdress, distinguishing it from the earlier 1864 bronze issue without the initial. A pre-cud represents an incipient die break where interconnected cracks have formed along the rim but the bounded section has not yet displaced or separated, appearing as raised hairline fracture networks on struck coins rather than the mass displacement of a retained or full cud. The addition of the "L" initial to the Indian Head cent design during 1864 makes this a transitional year with two distinct obverse varieties — the Bronze No L and the L on Ribbon — and die variety researchers track pre-cuds separately for each type. Philadelphia struck substantial quantities of both variants during 1864 as the new bronze composition replaced the copper-nickel alloy, though exact production figures for the L on Ribbon variant alone are not precisely established. No cross-references from other attribution services have been established for this pre-cud variety. Pre-cuds serve as forensic evidence of the die failure progression: the crack network visible at this stage may eventually widen into a retained cud (where the bounded fragment shifts but stays attached) and ultimately into a full cud (where the fragment separates completely), making pre-cud documentation valuable for researchers attempting to reconstruct the complete life history of individual working dies. Collectors should examine the rim under 15-20x magnification for fine interconnected cracks that begin to define a boundary around a specific rim section.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Pat Flynn
• Cross reference: none. 05/31/2019.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References