CU-1C-1816-01 Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1C-1816-01, this cud on the 1816 Matron Head Cent documents a retained die break from the very first year of the design's production. The Matron Head — also known as the Coronet Head — succeeded the Classic Head in 1816 and continued through 1835, establishing a two-decade run as the standard large cent obverse. These early large cents were struck on copper planchets approximately 28 millimeters in diameter, and the substantial striking force required to impress the design into these oversized blanks placed enormous stress on the dies. Cuds form when a die rim section fractures under repeated striking pressure, and the resulting void fills with metal during subsequent strikes to create a raised, featureless mass on the coin's edge. The screw presses used at the Philadelphia Mint in 1816 could generate uneven pressure across the die face, accelerating fatigue at stress points along the rim where die steel was thinnest. As a first-year-of-type variety, CU-1C-1816-01 carries the dual appeal of documenting both a specific die failure and the inaugural production of a design that defined American large cent coinage for a generation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Friscomint1793
• CU-1C-1816-01; none.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References