CU-1C-1838-06 Rim Cud

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins as CU-1C-1838-06, this rim cud variety appears on an 1838 Modified Matron Head Coronet Head cent, the sixth documented cud for this date. The Modified Matron Head design, a refinement by Christian Gobrecht of the earlier Matron Head type, was struck in pure copper weighing approximately 10.89 grams with a 28.5 mm diameter and a plain edge. Philadelphia produced 6,370,200 large cents in 1838, the same year that the New Orleans and Charlotte branch mints began operations, expanding the Mint's geographic footprint during the Jacksonian era. A rim cud represents one of the most dramatic forms of die failure, occurring when a section of the die along the rim fractures and separates completely, creating a cavity that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised, featureless mass on the finished coin. Cross-referenced as LCC-1838-1, this variety is linked directly to CU-1c-1838-05, with both cuds sharing the same LCC catalog reference number. This shared reference suggests the two varieties may represent sequential stages of the same die's progressive failure, where an initial rim break (cataloged as one cud) expanded or a second break developed nearby (cataloged as the companion cud), or they may represent different cuds from the same die that are documented together for cross-referencing purposes. The LCC (Large Cent Cuds) reference system provides specialized cataloging for die breaks on large cents, a denomination that has been the subject of intensive die state study since the 18th century. Large copper cents, with their substantial size and relatively soft die steel, were particularly susceptible to die cracks and breaks, and the systematic documentation of these failures forms a core discipline within the Early American Coppers collecting community. The 1838 Modified Matron Head cent already attracts numismatic attention as part of the short-lived 1835-1839 design type, and documented cud errors add another dimension of collectibility.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Friscomint1793 on ebay
• CU-1C-1838-06; LCC-1838-1, CU-1c-1838-05 & CU-1c-1838-06 Rim Cud
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References