1891 Indian Head Cent Pre-Cud (Reverse 3:00–5:00)

Description

A pre-cud die crack spans from approximately 3 o'clock to 5 o'clock on the reverse of this 1891 Indian Head cent, running through the wreath area on the right side. Pre-cuds represent an intermediate stage of die failure where the crack has run fully from rim to rim but the enclosed die metal is still part of the die and has not moved. Had the die continued in service, the fracture could have progressed into a full cud, leaving a raised featureless blob of metal where the lost die fragment no longer imparted design detail, though no pre-cud is bound to reach that stage. The crack's path through the wreath area indicates structural weakness along that portion of the reverse die. A separate retained cud is also known for this same approximate position on the 1891 reverse, representing a more advanced die state where the metal had broken completely free but was held in place. The 1891 Indian Head cent was produced at the Philadelphia Mint with a mintage of approximately 47 million pieces. Pre-cud varieties are collected as documentation of progressive die failure, and the clear rim-to-rim crack path on this specimen provides a textbook example of the pre-cud stage.