RCD-1c-1887-04R Retained Cud

Description

On the reverse of an 1887 Indian Head Cent designed by James B. Longacre, RCD-1c-1887-04R documents a retained cud — a die failure where a rim-area fragment has fractured completely yet remains lodged in the die cavity, continuing to impress a raised or weakly detailed zone on every coin it contacts. The "R" suffix confirms the break occurred on the reverse die, affecting the wreath and denomination side of Longacre's design. Retained cuds occupy a middle position in the die failure progression: more advanced than a pre-cud crack reaching the rim, but less dramatic than a full cud where the fragment separates entirely. Indian Head Cents were struck at the Philadelphia Mint from 1859 through 1909, and the 1887 issue belongs to the mature period of the series when production techniques were well established but die steel metallurgy still imposed limitations that made rim-area fractures a recurring phenomenon. Fourth in the retained cud catalog for this date, suggesting multiple dies experienced similar rim failures. Cataloged and verified by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Cross reference: none. See RCD-1c-1887-04R below.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References