CU-1c-1859-02 Cud

Description

Struck during the inaugural year of the Indian Head Cent series, this cud die break belongs to one of the most historically significant dates in American small cent coinage. Designed by James B. Longacre at the Philadelphia Mint, the 1859 Indian Head Cent features a unique laurel wreath reverse used exclusively this single year before being replaced by the oak wreath with shield in 1860. The coin was struck in copper-nickel alloy (88% copper, 12% nickel), giving it a pale white appearance unlike the bronze issues that followed after 1864. CU-1c-1859-02 represents the second documented cud die for this first-year date, cataloged in the Cuds on Coins reference system. A cud forms when a section of the die rim fractures and separates, leaving a void that fills with metal during striking to create a raised featureless mass along the coin's edge. Identifying which die produced a given specimen requires careful comparison of the cud's position and size against published reference images. No additional cross-references have been recorded.

External References