CU-1C-1846-02 Rim Cud

Description

Second documented rim cud for the 1846 Small Date Braided Hair Cent, this variety preserves the raised featureless mass that forms when a section of the die rim fractures and the broken piece separates completely, leaving a cavity that fills with metal during striking. Rim cuds appear as a raised blob at the coin's edge, obliterating whatever design detail occupied that portion of the rim and adjacent field. The Braided Hair design, created by Christian Gobrecht, served as the final large cent type from 1839 through 1857 — heavy copper coins approximately 10.89 grams at 27.5mm diameter that constitute a distinct collecting specialty. The 1846 issue carries the Small Date obverse punch, one of the date size variants tracked by large cent specialists. Die varieties on pre-Civil War copper are cataloged through the Newcomb numbering system and supplemented by Walter Breen's references, though cuds are tracked separately by Cuds on Coins. Two documented rim cuds for a single Braided Hair date indicates that die rim failures occurred even with the slower production methods and lower volumes of the mid-nineteenth century Philadelphia Mint.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Friscomint1793 on eBay
• CU-1C-1846-02
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References