CU-1c-1860-01 Cud

Description

The year 1860 brought a major design overhaul to the Indian Head Cent, and this cud die break is a product of that transitional moment. The reverse was redesigned from the one-year laurel wreath of 1859 to an oak wreath topped with a shield — a motif that would endure through the rest of the series until 1909. The obverse was also refined with a thinner, more detailed portrait. This cud could appear on either the newly designed reverse or the updated obverse die, as rim fractures occur on both sides. CU-1c-1860-01 is the first documented cud for this date, cataloged in the Cuds on Coins reference system, struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-nickel alloy. A cud forms when a piece of the die rim fractures and falls away, leaving a cavity that fills with metal during striking, producing a raised featureless mass at the coin's edge. The 1860 date holds special appeal for type collectors because it marks the debut of the long-running oak wreath reverse. No additional cross-references have been recorded.

External References