CU-1c-1794-01R Cud

Description

Only one year after the first cents were struck in 1793, this reverse cud on the 1794 Liberty Cap Cent documents rim failure on one of the earliest denominations produced by the fledgling United States Mint. CU-1c-1794-01R is the first cataloged reverse cud for the 1794 date, struck on the Exact Head of 1795 die variety that represents a transitional obverse style bridging two years of Liberty Cap production. The Liberty Cap design, featuring a right-facing bust of Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap on a pole, was the second obverse type used on large cents after the Chain and Wreath reverses of 1793, and its production in 1794 came during the Philadelphia Mint's formative years when die-making techniques were still being refined by chief engraver Robert Scot. The rim cud on this early copper issue is significant: large cent dies in 1794 were hand-engraved from steel of inconsistent quality, and the substantial 29mm planchet diameter required dies to withstand forces that frequently exceeded the steel's fracture threshold at the peripheral rim. No additional cross-references have been established beyond the primary Cuds on Coins designation. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, CU-1c-1794-01R stands among the earliest-dated cud varieties in the entire United States coinage catalog, representing die failure evidence from a period when the nation's mint was producing its very first circulating copper coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Friscomint1793 on eBay
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References