RCD-100c-1853-01 Retained Cud

Description

Preserved from over 170 years ago, RCD-100c-1853-01 documents the first cataloged retained cud on the 1853 Seated Liberty dollar — a coin struck during a pivotal year in American monetary history when the Coinage Act of 1853 reduced the silver content of subsidiary coins (half dimes through half dollars) but left the silver dollar unchanged. Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty design, introduced on the dollar in 1840, depicts Liberty seated on a rock holding a union shield and a liberty pole topped with a Phrygian cap. Philadelphia Mint struck only 46,110 silver dollars in 1853, a remarkably low mintage driven by the economic reality that the bullion value of a silver dollar exceeded its face value, causing most to be melted or exported rather than circulated. This scarcity makes any die variety on the 1853 Seated Liberty dollar inherently significant, as the small number of surviving specimens limits the opportunity for die failure documentation. The retained cud indicates a section of the die rim cracked but remained attached to the die body, producing a raised or shelf-like disturbance near the rim of struck coins. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no known cross-references, this variety represents a rare intersection of 19th-century die failure and a low-mintage classic silver dollar issue. Seated Liberty dollars from the early 1850s are avidly collected in all grades, and documented die varieties on these coins add provenance and research value that enhances their appeal beyond simple date-and-grade considerations. Collectors should examine the rim area under moderate magnification with directional lighting, looking for the characteristic flat or displaced zone that marks where the retained die fragment disrupted normal striking pressure during the coining process.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mike Watson with permission from Brad Fravel
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References