CU-1c-1803-09 Cud

Description

Cataloged as the ninth documented cud on the 1803 Draped Bust Large Cent, CU-1c-1803-09 records a die break along the rim — a raised, unstruck area on the coin's surface produced when a fragment of the die edge fractured and separated during production, leaving a void that filled with metal under striking pressure. The parent variety is the 1803 Cent with the distinctive 100/000 fraction, a Mint error in the denominator where "1000" was over-punched to read "000," producing a curious fraction that has fascinated collectors of early American copper for over two centuries. Cuds on early Draped Bust coppers carry particular numismatic significance because the hand-engraved dies of this era were produced individually, making each die break a unique artifact of early Mint operations. The Draped Bust design by Robert Scot — featuring Liberty with flowing hair on the obverse and a wreath encircling the denomination on the reverse — was in its final years by 1803, transitioning to the Classic Head design in 1808. The catalog format denotes: CU for cud, 1c for one cent, 1803 for the date, and 09 for the sequential die number. Attributed by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

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

External References