RRDC-1c-1840-01 Bisecting Rim to Rim Die Crack

Description

Among the die crack varieties recorded for the 1840 Braided Hair Coronet Head Large Cent — specifically the Small/Large 18 variant — this bisecting rim-to-rim die crack stands as one of the more dramatic late-die-state phenomena documented by Cuds on Coins. Catalogued as RRDC-1c-1840-01, it is the third distinct rim-to-rim die crack variety known for this date and obverse pairing; two others were enriched in batch 457 under separate catalogue entries. The crack runs directly through the face of Liberty, extending from one rim to the opposing rim in a bisecting line. Although the crack's width and length place it at the threshold of what might qualify as a split die, the narrow crack width prevents that more severe classification. The Braided Hair Large Cent, designed by Christian Gobrecht, was struck in copper from 1839 to 1857 and represents one of the final large copper cent types before the small cent era. Late-stage die cracks of this magnitude required mint workers to retire the die, making surviving examples de facto records of a die's final weeks of service. The entry date of 02/01/2014 marks the formal Cuds on Coins cataloguing of this specimen.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Redhawk on ebay
• Cross reference: none. The die crack is seen through the face of Liberty, from rim to opposing rim. While on the verge of being a split die, the width of the die crack is too small to classify it as such. 02/01/2014.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References