1836 Matron Head Large Cent N-3 Obverse Cud

Description

Preserving evidence of early American die failure, this 1836 Matron Head large cent exhibits an obverse cud die break on the Newcomb N-3 die marriage — a section of the obverse die along the rim broke away just outside of the first star to the left of the topmost star, leaving a raised, featureless area on the struck coin. The Modified Matron Head design, part of the Coronet Head cent series produced from 1835 through 1839, represents the transitional period between Christian Gobrecht's early modifications of Robert Scot's original Matron Head design and the subsequent evolution toward the Braided Hair type. Philadelphia struck approximately 2.11 million large cents in 1836, a modest output by later standards but substantial for an era when each coin was struck individually by hand-operated or early steam-powered presses that placed considerable stress on working dies. The Newcomb N-3 designation identifies the specific die marriage within Howard R. Newcomb's comprehensive early copper cent die variety catalog, first published in 1944, which systematically classified large cent die pairings using a letter-number system that remains the standard reference. Cud die breaks develop when a section of the die rim fractures under repeated striking pressure, with the broken fragment either remaining loosely in place or separating entirely from the die body. The area where the fragment has separated fills with planchet metal during subsequent strikes, creating the characteristic raised, featureless blob that obliterates whatever design detail occupied that zone. The specific location — outside the first star left of the top star — places this cud in the upper-left quadrant of the obverse near the periphery of the thirteen-star arrangement that encircles Liberty's portrait. Cross-referenced as Newcomb N-3, this variety connects to the extensive literature of early American copper die study.

Attribution History

• Discovered by NumisDexDealer
• Newcomb N-3