CU-20c-1875S-01R Cud

Description

First documented cud on the reverse of an 1875 San Francisco Mint Seated Liberty Twenty Cent Piece, this variety records a major die break at the rim on one of the shortest-lived denominations in United States coinage history. The Twenty Cent Piece was authorized in 1875 and effectively abandoned after just two years of circulation strikes (1875-1876), with only proof coins produced in 1877 and 1878 before the denomination was formally abolished. The coin's failure stemmed from its near-identical size to the quarter dollar, causing confusion in commerce. San Francisco struck approximately 1.15 million twenty-cent pieces in 1875 — the highest mintage for any date in this brief series — using Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty obverse paired with an eagle reverse. A cud on this denomination is particularly noteworthy because the series' short production span and limited mintages mean far fewer dies were used compared to long-running denominations, making each die variety proportionally more significant. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins without additional cross-references or die markers, CU-20c-1875S-01R documents die rim failure during the inaugural year of a denomination that the public quickly rejected. The R suffix confirms this cud appears on the eagle reverse, and the 01 sequence number indicates it is the first and potentially only reverse rim cud known for this date.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Randall P
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References