RCD-1c-1871-01R Retained Cud

Description

The only documented retained cud for the 1871 Indian Head Cent, the RCD-1c-1871-01R preserves a die rim failure on a relatively low-mintage date in the series. The 1871 Indian Head Cent saw production of approximately 3.9 million pieces at the Philadelphia Mint — modest by the standards of later decades — and this lower production volume means fewer dies were required and fewer die failure varieties were generated. The sole retained cud status for the date likely reflects both the limited number of dies used and the smaller surviving population available for variety specialists to examine. A retained cud captures the moment when a die rim fragment has cracked but not detached, striking coins with a raised blob of metal that partially obscures the adjacent design while the broken piece remains in place. The 1871 date falls during the early post-Civil War period of Indian Head Cent production, when the series had been produced in bronze composition since the changeover during 1864. Attributed by Cuds on Coins, the RCD-1c-1871-01R's distinction as the lone retained cud for its date makes it particularly notable to collectors assembling comprehensive die failure collections across the Indian Head Cent series, where the variety count per year correlates roughly with mintage and collector scrutiny.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ken Potter
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References