RCD-1c-1864-05R Retained Cud

Description

Struck from a die with a rim fracture where the broken section remained partially in place rather than separating completely, this retained cud on an 1864 Indian Head Cent of the L on Ribbon subtype preserves a distinctive stage of die deterioration. Unlike a full cud — where the rim fragment breaks away entirely, leaving a cavity that fills with raised featureless metal — a retained cud shows the cracked area still attached, producing a raised but textured region that retains partial design detail. A reverse die crack indicated by the "black arrow" annotation in the Cuds on Coins catalog provides additional die state documentation. The 1864 L on Ribbon variety is historically significant as the first year James Barton Longacre's initial "L" appeared on the Indian Head Cent ribbon, a feature that continued through the end of the series in 1909. The 1864 date also marks the transition from the earlier copper-nickel composition (88% copper, 12% nickel) to the thinner bronze planchets (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc), making retained cuds from this transitional year particularly interesting to specialists studying die behavior across different planchet compositions. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, the RCD-1c-1864-05R designation places this at the fifth reverse position for the 1864 date.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Louis A
• Cross reference: none. 05/17/2021.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References