CU-1c-1847-02R Rim Cud

Description

Nearly 180 years of history separate modern collectors from the moment this 1847 Braided Hair cent's reverse die fractured at the rim, producing the cud error cataloged as CU-1c-1847-02R by Cuds on Coins. No cross-references with other attribution systems have been recorded. The Braided Hair Coronet Head large cent, designed by Christian Gobrecht, features a bold Liberty portrait with an elaborate braided hairstyle on the obverse and a simple wreath surrounding the denomination on the reverse. Philadelphia -- the sole operating mint for large cents -- struck 6.18 million of these coins in 1847, using screw presses that generated the force needed to impress Gobrecht's design into large copper planchets measuring approximately 28mm in diameter. Die steel in the 1840s was produced by crucible methods that yielded less uniform alloys than modern steel-making processes, and the resulting variability in grain structure and hardness made rim fractures a relatively common occurrence. The "02R" designation indicates this is the second documented reverse rim cud for the 1847 large cent, meaning at least one other reverse die also experienced rim failure during that year's production. Large cent cuds from the pre-Civil War era carry significant numismatic appeal because they combine a dramatic die error with the inherent historical interest of a coin type that was discontinued in 1857. Surviving specimens have endured nearly two centuries of handling, environmental exposure, and the vicissitudes of the coin market, and examples with clearly defined cuds that haven't been obscured by corrosion or heavy wear are genuinely scarce.

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