1867 Indian Head Cent Reverse Rim Cud (5:30 to 6 o'clock)

Description

A rim cud is documented on the reverse of this 1867 Indian Head Cent, positioned just counterclockwise of the 6 o'clock position and extending to approximately 5:30 on the reverse — placing the die break in the lower right quadrant of the wreath design. A rim cud represents the loss of part of the die's rim gutter, which appears as a raised interruption in the design rim that tracks the rim's course at the corresponding location on every coin produced after the break. The clock-position description system provides precise spatial identification without requiring specific design-element references, though at the 5:30 to 6 o'clock reverse position, the cud would sit near the lower portion of the oak wreath and potentially the nearby ribbon or legend lettering. The 1867 Indian Head Cent was designed by James B. Longacre, featuring Liberty wearing a feathered headdress on the obverse and an oak wreath with shield on the reverse, struck at the Philadelphia Mint in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19 mm. The 1867 is a lower-mintage issue with just over 9.8 million struck, making it a semi-key date in the Indian Head Cent series. Rim cuds on post-Civil War Indian Head Cents document the stresses experienced by Philadelphia Mint dies during a period when production demands were adjusting to peacetime monetary needs.