PC-1c-1905-07R Pre-Cud

Description

Seventh reverse pre-cud cataloged for the 1905 Indian Head cent by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, PC-1c-1905-07R documents die rim deterioration on one of the later dates in James B. Longacre's Indian Head cent series, which ran from 1859 through 1909. The cross-reference notation records a documentation date of 12/17/2019, placing this within the modern era of systematic pre-cud identification. Philadelphia struck approximately 80.72 million Indian Head cents in 1905, a substantial production run that consumed numerous working die pairs across the year. The Indian Head cent's reverse design features a wreath of oak leaves and other botanical elements surrounding the inscription ONE CENT, with a federal shield at the top — a design rich in fine detail at the rim junction where pre-cuds characteristically develop. The 07R designation as the seventh reverse pre-cud for this date indicates multiple instances of rim-adjacent die cracking were documented on 1905 cent production dies, consistent with the general pattern of die stress concentration at the rim-to-field transition where the collar, planchet edge, and die face create a geometric stress point. Pre-cuds on Indian Head cents carry particular interest because the bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) composition used from 1864 onward is relatively soft compared to the earlier copper-nickel alloy, meaning the dies themselves bear the primary wear burden rather than sharing stress with a resistant planchet. The incipient die fracture produces a faint raised line on the struck coin extending from the rim inward, and identification requires 10-15x magnification with angled lighting to distinguish this die-origin feature from rim contact marks, edge bruises, or other post-strike damage that commonly affects circulated Indian Head cents from this era.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mark Clewell
• Cross reference number: none. 12/17/2019.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References