1864 Two Cent Piece - Large Motto - RCD-2c-1864-07R Retained Cud

Description

Documented by Cuds on Coins on the reverse of an 1864 Two Cent Piece, RCD-2c-1864-07R records a die rim fracture. The Two Cent Piece, authorized by the Act of April 22, 1864, was the first United States coin to bear the motto IN GOD WE TRUST — a phrase that would eventually appear on all American coinage. The "Large Motto" designation distinguishes the 1864 obverse die with larger, bolder lettering for the motto from the "Small Motto" variety of the same year. A retained cud forms when a section of the die rim fractures and the broken piece comes loose but is held in place rather than falling out, producing a raised and cracked area on the struck coin that carries its design, sometimes offset. The "R" suffix indicates this fracture occurred on the reverse die, which featured a wheat wreath encircling the denomination "2 CENTS" — a design by James B. Longacre. Cuds on Coins lists no cross-reference for it.

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