RCD-2c-1865-10 Retained Cud

Description

The tenth retained cud documented for the 1865 Two Cent Piece, the RCD-2c-1865-10 records die failure on a denomination with extraordinary historical significance — the Two Cent Piece was the first United States coin to bear the motto IN GOD WE TRUST, which appeared on the obverse shield beginning in 1864 and later spread to all American coinage. The 1865 issue marks the second year of production for this denomination designed by James B. Longacre, when mintage was still relatively high before the steep decline that would lead to the series' termination in 1873. Ten retained cuds for a single date represents a substantial population for such a short-lived denomination, indicating that the Two Cent Piece's dies experienced considerable rim stress during production. The bronze composition and relatively large diameter for the denomination's era created specific die wear characteristics, and the shield design's complex detail — featuring a heraldic shield with crossed arrows, a wreath, and the pioneering motto — placed demands on the die steel that contributed to fracture patterns. Attributed by Cuds on Coins, varieties on the Two Cent Piece carry inherent scarcity due to the denomination's brief ten-year production span, making die failure documentation particularly valuable for understanding this transitional Civil War-era coinage.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ken Peavey
• Cross reference: none. 12/10/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References