RCD-2c-1864-07R Retained Cud

Description

Documented on the reverse of an 1864 Two Cent Piece with the Large Motto variety, this seventh retained cud records a die rim fracture on one of the most historically significant denominations in American coinage. 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 rarer "Small Motto" variety of the same year. A retained cud forms when a section of the die rim fractures but the broken piece remains attached rather than separating completely, producing a raised and cracked area on the struck coin that preserves distorted design detail. 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. Seven reverse retained cuds documented for the 1864 Two Cent Piece reflects both the substantial first-year mintage of over 19 million coins and the stresses that Civil War-era die production imposed on working dies. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no known cross-references, this variety demonstrates that die rim failures were not uncommon even during the inaugural production year of this denomination, when die designs were newly prepared and production processes for the unfamiliar denomination were being established.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References