CU-1C-1798-02A Cud

Description

Early American coinage from the first decade of U.S. Mint operations produced this cud variety on the 1798 Draped Bust Cent with the 1798/7 overdate — a coin that already carries the numismatic distinction of being struck from an obverse die originally dated 1797 and re-engraved to read 1798. Cross-referenced under its own catalog number CU-1C-1798-02A and documented by Cuds on Coins, this die break formed when a section of the die rim fractured and separated during the hand-press striking operations that characterized early Mint production. The Draped Bust Cents (1796-1807) were large copper coins approximately 29mm in diameter, designed by Robert Scot with a Liberty portrait featuring flowing hair gathered in a ribbon, and the "A" suffix in the catalog designation distinguishes this from other die states or varieties within the 02 sequence. Die production in the 1790s relied on hand-cut dies and manual hubbing techniques that differed substantially from the mechanized processes of later eras, and die failures including rim fractures occurred with some regularity due to the metallurgical limitations of early die steel. The 1798/7 overdate itself was created when the Mint economized by recutting an existing 1797-dated die rather than producing an entirely new one — a common practice at the early Mint where die production was time-consuming and expensive. Cud errors on Draped Bust Cents are scarce and highly prized by collectors of early American coinage.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Friscomint1793 on eBay
• CU-1C-1798-02A
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References