1864 Two Cent Piece - Large Motto - RCD-2c-1864-08R Retained Cud

Description

RCD-2c-1864-08R is a reverse retained cud cataloged by Cuds on Coins on an 1864 Two Cent Piece, the first United States coin to bear IN GOD WE TRUST. A retained cud represents an intermediate stage of die rim failure: the rim has fractured, creating a visible crack that extends from the rim into the design area, and the broken section has come free of the die body but is held in place. The struck coin displays a raised, distorted area at the rim where the cracked die section compressed the planchet metal differently from the intact portions of the die. The "R" suffix confirms the reverse die location, affecting James B. Longacre's wheat wreath and denomination design. Nearly 20 million two-cent pieces dated 1864 were struck at the Philadelphia Mint during the Civil War, when silver coins and even the copper-nickel cent were being hoarded. The Two Cent Piece was introduced partly to fill the small-change void created by this hoarding, and its 95% copper composition made it less likely to be withdrawn from circulation than silver coins. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no known cross-references, RCD-2c-1864-08R documents continued die rim stress on this denomination's inaugural production year.

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