CU-1c-1862-04R Cud

Description

When six or more reverse cuds exist for a single date, precise attribution becomes a careful exercise in comparative analysis, and CU-1c-1862-04R presents exactly this challenge. The fourth documented reverse cud for the 1862 Indian Head Cent, identified by the "R" suffix as a reverse die failure, this variety must be distinguished from the other known 1862 reverse cuds by the exact position, size, and shape of its rim break. Each cud represents a unique die that fractured at a different point along the reverse rim, and no two breaks are identical. The 1862 Indian Head Cent was struck in copper-nickel alloy at the Philadelphia Mint, with a mintage of approximately 28.1 million pieces produced during the second year of the Civil War. The high production volume demanded many die pairs, and the inevitable mechanical fatigue from repeated striking pushed multiple reverse dies to failure. A cud forms when the fractured section of rim separates entirely, leaving a void that fills with metal on subsequent impressions to create the characteristic raised featureless mass. CU-1c-1862-04R is cataloged in the Cuds on Coins reference system.

External References