1887 Indian Head Cent - RCD-1c-1887-10R, 11R & 12R Retained Cud

Description

Bearing the Cuds on Coins designation RCD-1c-1887-10R, this retained cud was struck at Philadelphia on an 1887 Indian Head Cent composed of bronze — 95% copper with 5% tin and zinc — the alloy replacing the harder copper-nickel formulation in 1864. The transition to bronze reduced die stress considerably, as softer planchets yielded more readily under striking pressure rather than channeling impact energy back into the die face. A retained cud develops when a crack extends to the rim and a section fractures but remains lodged, continuing to impress a raised irregular mass onto each coin struck from the compromised die. The retained fragment carries the underlying design onto the coin, raised above or out of line with the surrounding features. Ten retained cuds for the 1887 date suggests moderate die failure activity consistent with Philadelphia's substantial production during the late 1880s, when Indian Head Cent mintages routinely exceeded forty million. The Gilded Age economy sustained strong demand for circulating small change, and the volume of die pairs consumed ensured a statistical baseline of terminal failures across the catalog.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 06/08/2018.

External References