CU-1c-1864-01R(CN) Cud

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, CU-1c-1864-01R(CN) documents a cud die break on the reverse of an 1864 Indian Head Cent struck in copper-nickel composition — the earlier of two alloys used that transitional year. The designation encodes key identifiers: 1c for one-cent denomination, 1864 for the date, 01R for the first cataloged reverse cud, and CN specifying the copper-nickel alloy to distinguish from 1864 bronze issues. The year 1864 stands as one of the most complex in the Indian Head Cent series, producing three varieties: copper-nickel without the designer's L on the ribbon, bronze without the L, and bronze with the L added to honor James B. Longacre. Cuds form when a section of the die rim fractures and breaks away entirely, leaving a cavity that fills with metal during striking and produces a raised, featureless mass along the coin's edge. On a copper-nickel cent — harder and thicker than its bronze successor — the 88% copper and 12% nickel alloy resists metal flow differently under striking pressure. The copper-nickel composition was discontinued mid-year in 1864 due to wartime nickel shortages and die wear from the alloy's hardness, making CN varieties inherently scarcer.

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