CU-1c-1859-01R Cud

Description

Unique among Indian Head Cent reverse cuds, this die break falls on the one-year-only laurel wreath design used exclusively in 1859. The "R" suffix in the catalog number identifies this as a reverse die failure, distinguishing it from obverse cuds that carry no suffix or an "O" designation. James B. Longacre's original reverse featured a laurel wreath encircling the denomination — a design replaced the very next year by the oak wreath topped with a shield that would serve through 1909. CU-1c-1859-01R is the first documented reverse cud for this inaugural date, cataloged in the Cuds on Coins reference system. The coin was struck in copper-nickel alloy (88% copper, 12% nickel) at the Philadelphia Mint, giving it the pale white appearance characteristic of the early series. A reverse cud forms when a section of the reverse die rim fractures and separates, leaving a cavity that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised featureless mass along the coin's edge. Because no other Indian Head Cent date shares this reverse type, any cud on the 1859 laurel wreath reverse is inherently a one-year design variety.

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