CU-1c-1865-02R Cud

Description

Positioned at the 2 o'clock location on the reverse, this cud on the 1865 Indian Head Cent Fancy 5 sub-variety documents a marginal die break from a historically pivotal year in cent production. Cuds form when a section of the die rim fractures and breaks away, leaving a void that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised, featureless shelf along the coin's edge. The CU-1c-1865-02R catalog designation identifies this as a cud at position 2 on the reverse die — the clock-position system used by Cuds on Coins places position 2 at roughly the one-to-two o'clock area when viewing the reverse. The year 1865 marked the first year of the bronze composition for Indian Head Cents, replacing the copper-nickel alloy used from 1860 through 1864. This composition change — driven by wartime hoarding that had stripped copper-nickel cents from circulation — required the Mint to adapt its dies and striking pressures to the softer, thinner bronze planchets. The "Fancy 5" designation refers to the distinctive style of the numeral 5 in the date, characterized by a more ornamental serif compared to the simpler "Plain 5" variant, and it identifies the specific die pair associated with this cud.

External References