PC-1c-1848-01R Pre-Cud

Description

Dating to the era of large copper cents, this pre-cud on an 1848 Braided Hair Cent documents the precursor crack that would eventually develop into a full cud — the stage where the die rim has cracked but the fractured piece has not yet broken away. A full cud forms when a section of the die rim separates completely, leaving a cavity that fills with metal to produce a raised featureless mass. The pre-cud preserves the crack pattern before that separation occurred, making it a valuable record of die failure in progress. The "R" suffix indicates this crack appeared on the reverse die. The parent variety is identified as Small Date Breen-1901, Walter Breen's catalog number in his comprehensive reference on early American copper coinage. The Braided Hair design, created by Christian Gobrecht, was struck at the Philadelphia Mint from 1839 through 1857 as the final large cent type. These heavy copper coins — approximately 10.89 grams at 27.5mm diameter — constitute a distinct collecting specialty, and die varieties on Braided Hair cents are tracked through both the Breen and Newcomb systems. Pre-cuds on pre-Civil War copper are uncommon in specialized catalogs.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chris Simpson
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References