RCD-1c-1878-01R Retained Cud

Description

The RCD-1c-1878-01R, cataloged by Cuds on Coins, records a retained cud on the reverse of the 1878 Indian Head Cent. By the late 1870s, James B. Longacre's Indian Head Cent design had been in continuous production for nearly two decades, and the Philadelphia Mint's die production was well established for this denomination. Retained cuds advance beyond the pre-cud stage — the die has fully fractured at the rim with a section partially separating, yet the broken fragment remains in place during subsequent striking operations, producing coins with a raised crack outline and partially altered design in the affected rim area. The "01R" designation indicates this is the first reverse retained cud cataloged for the 1878 date, appearing on the wreath reverse rather than the obverse portrait. The 1878 Indian Head Cent was produced during the political debates over silver coinage that led to the Bland-Allison Act and the return of the Morgan Dollar that same year. Retained cuds create visually distinctive raised rim areas that are often visible without magnification, making them among the more accessible die break varieties for collectors building denomination-spanning die failure collections.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Rob Hallock
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References