1836 Matron Head Large Cent N-6 Obverse Cud

Description

This 1836 Matron Head large cent, identified as Newcomb N-6, displays an obverse cud die break where a section of the die along the rim broke away between the top star and the first star to the right, creating a raised featureless area on the struck coin. The Newcomb numbering system, developed by Howard R. Newcomb in his 1944 reference "United States Copper Cents 1816-1857," assigns variety numbers to middle-date large cents based on specific obverse-reverse die combinations, and N-6 identifies one particular die marriage for 1836. The Modified Matron Head design, introduced in 1835, refined the earlier Matron Head (or Coronet Head) large cent design with a more detailed rendering of Liberty wearing a coronet inscribed with the word LIBERTY, surrounded by thirteen stars representing the original colonies. This modification by Christian Gobrecht updated the portrait style that had served since 1816. The cud's position between the top star and the adjacent star to the right places the break along the upper right periphery of the obverse, where the combination of high-relief star details and the rim junction creates a stress concentration zone susceptible to fracture. Philadelphia, the nation's sole mint facility in 1836, produced large cents using screw presses that applied substantial mechanical force — force that accumulated as cyclic fatigue in the die steel, eventually initiating cracks that propagated to full rim separation. When the broken die fragment fell away, the resulting void filled with metal during each subsequent strike, producing the characteristic raised, textureless blob that defines a cud break. This variety provides a physical record of 1830s die failure mechanics and demonstrates the die durability challenges faced during a period when die steel quality was still evolving.

Attribution History

• Discovered by NumisDexDealer
• Newcomb N-6