RCD-2c-1864-08R Retained Cud

Description

Eighth reverse retained cud documented for the 1864 Two Cent Piece Large Motto variety, this entry adds to the growing die failure record for the first-year issue of America's first coin bearing IN GOD WE TRUST. The progression from the seventh to the eighth retained cud for this date suggests systematic examination of 1864 Two Cent Piece populations by die variety researchers. A retained cud represents an intermediate stage of die rim failure: the rim has fractured, creating a visible crack that extends from the rim into the design area, but the broken section has not separated from the die body. The struck coin displays a raised, distorted area at the rim where the cracked die section compressed the planchet metal differently from the intact portions of the die. The "R" suffix confirms the reverse die location, affecting James B. Longacre's wheat wreath and denomination design. The 1864 Large Motto Two Cent Piece was struck in substantial quantities — over 19 million coins at the Philadelphia Mint — during the Civil War, when copper-nickel and silver coins were being hoarded due to economic uncertainty. The Two Cent Piece was introduced partly to fill the small-change void created by this hoarding, and its 95% copper composition made it less likely to be withdrawn from circulation than silver coins. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no known cross-references, RCD-2c-1864-08R documents continued die rim stress on this denomination's inaugural production year.

Attribution History

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

External References