CU-1c-1803-05 Cud

Description

Fifth cataloged cud on the 1803 Draped Bust Cent with the 100/000 fraction variety, CU-1c-1803-05 documents a die rim fracture on one of the earliest U.S. large cent issues. The 1803 Draped Bust Cent, designed by Robert Scot with a reverse attributed to John Eckstein, was struck at the Philadelphia Mint during the Thomas Jefferson administration, when the entire annual cent production numbered in the low millions and each hand-engraved die was a substantial investment of skilled labor. The host coin itself — the 100/000 fraction variety — already represents a significant variety, where the fraction denominator was overpunched with three zeroes rather than the intended two, creating the unique 1/000 fraction error. A cud occurring on this already-distinctive variety compounds the numismatic interest, as collectors encounter two distinct die anomalies on a single coin. No additional cross-references exist beyond the Cuds on Coins primary designation. Early copper cents from the Draped Bust era are among the most challenging coins for die break documentation because the soft copper composition and primitive striking technology produced less sharply defined breaks than modern clad coinage, and two centuries of environmental exposure have often softened the diagnostic features. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, CU-1c-1803-05 connects early American numismatics with systematic modern variety research.

Attribution History

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

External References