1816 Matron Head Large Cent N-2 Obverse Rim Cud

Description

After the famous coinless year of 1815 — when the Philadelphia Mint produced no large cents because it could not procure copper planchet stock — production resumed in 1816 with the Matron Head design, and Newcomb N-2 documents a die marriage on which a rim cud developed between approximately the 1 o'clock and 4 o'clock positions on the obverse. The die break that created this cud fractured away a substantial section of the obverse die's edge, leaving a raised, featureless area where Liberty's portrait and surrounding design elements were obliterated by the unimpeded metal flow into the void. Cross-referenced under the Newcomb attribution system as N-2, this variety belongs to the early die marriage catalog established by Howard R. Newcomb in 1944, which remains the standard reference for early copper specialists. The 1816 Matron Head design, attributed to Robert Scot or his assistant John Reich, introduced a redesigned Liberty head with a more mature appearance and a decorative headband inscribed LIBERTY. Die breaks on early copper coinage occur at a higher frequency per die than on later coins due to the relatively soft die steel used in the early nineteenth century, the heavy copper planchets that imposed significant striking force, and the lower precision of die manufacture before modern metallurgical standards. The span of the break from 1 o'clock to 4 o'clock encompasses roughly a quarter of the obverse rim, making this a substantial cud that dramatically alters the coin's appearance and provides immediate visual impact for collectors encountering it. Early large cent die failures like this one document the mechanical challenges faced by the Mint during its formative decades, when die life was unpredictable and production schedules routinely accommodated die breakage as part of normal operations.

Attribution History

• Discovered by NumisDexDealer
• Newcomb N-2