PC-1c-1863-07R Pre-Cud

Description

A pre-cud represents the early stage of rim damage that, left unchecked, would eventually develop into a full cud — a raised, featureless blob where a piece of the die rim breaks away entirely. PC-1c-1863-07R captures this transitional moment on an 1863 Indian Head Cent, showing die weakness or cracking at the rim at the 7 o'clock position on the reverse. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, pre-cuds are significant because they document die deterioration in progress, providing insight into how dies fail over their production life. The 1863 Indian Head Cent was struck in the copper-nickel composition used from 1860 to 1864, a harder alloy that could accelerate die stress compared to the bronze composition adopted in 1864. Collectors prize pre-cuds as precursors to more dramatic die failures and as evidence of the progressive deterioration sequence that ultimately ends in catastrophic die breakage.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References