CU-1c-1865-01 Cud

Description

Sharing the same CU-01 catalog designation as its Fancy 5 counterpart, this cud variety appears on the 1865 Indian Head Cent struck from the Plain 5 date logotype — where the numeral 5 displays a simpler, straighter form without the ornamental curves of the Fancy 5. The same cud number across both date varieties indicates the rim die break has been documented on dies paired with each of the two date punches used at Philadelphia in 1865. A cud is the raised, flat shelf of metal that forms when a rim fragment breaks away from the die, creating a void where design detail can no longer be impressed. The 1865 date holds special significance as the inaugural year of bronze composition Indian Head Cents, replacing the copper-nickel planchets used since the denomination's 1859 introduction. James Barton Longacre's Liberty portrait with feathered headdress and the oak wreath and shield reverse continued unchanged through this compositional shift. The Plain 5 variant is generally considered scarcer than the Fancy 5 among surviving specimens, adding collector interest to any die variety found on this logotype.

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