RCD-1c-1902-02R Retained Cud

Description

Second retained cud documented on the reverse of a 1902 Indian Head Cent, this variety carries an intriguing title reference to "TC-574707 Copper Island Creek Coal Co." — a notation that may indicate a coal company token or store card struck on an 1902 Indian Head Cent, or a cataloging designation from a specialized reference. The Indian Head Cent, designed by James B. Longacre and struck from 1859 through 1909, features Liberty wearing a Native American feathered headdress on the obverse and a laurel wreath (1859) or oak wreath with shield (1860-1909) on the reverse. A retained cud on the reverse indicates that the die rim fractured but the broken piece remained attached, creating a cracked and distorted area that retains partial design detail rather than the featureless mass of a full cud. The 1902 Indian Head Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint — the sole facility producing cents during this era — with a mintage of approximately 87 million coins. The "R" suffix confirms the reverse die as the fracture location. Two reverse retained cuds from 1902 represents a modest count, reflecting both the number of dies employed and the examination intensity applied to this turn-of-the-century date. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no known cross-references, RCD-1c-1902-02R documents die rim failure during the final decade of Indian Head Cent production, a period when the design was entering its forty-third year of continuous service.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References