1838 Modified Matron Head Large Cent Newcomb-4 Obverse Cud with Unusual Die Crack

Description

Attributed as Newcomb N-4, this 1838 Modified Matron Head large cent combines two forms of die failure on the obverse: a cud die break and an unusual die crack. The cud formed where a section of the die fractured and separated from the rim just below the date, leaving a raised featureless area on the struck coin. More remarkable is the accompanying die crack, which extends from the cud upward through the hair detail and continues all the way across to the opposite rim. This crack path—traversing the full diameter of the die through one of its most detailed areas—is uncommon and suggests the die experienced significant structural stress well beyond the localized fracture that produced the cud. The combination of both failure types indicates the die was heavily used before being retired from service. Large cent die cracks and cuds are avidly collected within the Newcomb attribution system, and the N-4 pairing of a rim cud with a cross-die crack makes this a particularly dramatic example of pre-Civil War die deterioration.

Attribution History

• Discovered by NumisDexDealer
• Newcomb N-4