1869 Indian Head Cent Retained Cud (3 to 4:30)

Description

A retained cud is visible on this 1869 Indian Head cent. A retained cud occurs when a piece of the die breaks away at the rim but is held in place rather than falling out, creating a raised area that keeps its design and continues to strike coins. In this case, two die cracks leave the rim at 3 o'clock — one running north through the wreath and the retained cud running south through the wreath to approximately 4:30. Additionally, separation can be seen on the lower rim and denticles, showing this has progressed passed the pre-cud stage. The 1869 Indian Head cent is a semi-key date with a mintage of just 6.4 million pieces, making it one of the scarcer business-strike issues in the series.