1887 Indian Head Cent - RCD-1c-1887-14R Retained Cud

Description

Advancing the count to fourteen, RCD-1c-1887-14R is a retained cud on the 1887 Indian Head Cent documented by Cuds on Coins. Struck at Philadelphia in the standard bronze composition of 95% copper with tin and zinc, this variety records another instance of terminal die failure for a date that has yielded a substantial roster of cud varieties. The retained cud mechanism involves a die crack reaching the rim that causes a fragment to separate partially while remaining trapped, producing coins with a raised amorphous impression overlaying the normal design. The fragment's continued presence means every coin struck after the fracture event carries this distinctive deformation until the die is retired. Fourteen retained cuds places the 1887 cent among the more thoroughly documented Indian Head issues in the cud census, though the count remains consistent with expectations for a high-mintage year. The 1887 issue circulated widely during the Gilded Age, when rapid industrialization and urbanization sustained demand for small-denomination coinage in everyday commerce across the expanding American economy.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 01/23/2019.

External References