CU-1c-1884-01 Cud

Description

Falling within the Indian Head Cent's stable middle period, this cud die break comes from an era when die steel quality and production techniques at the Philadelphia Mint had matured compared to the series' early years. The 1884 Indian Head Cent had a mintage of approximately 23.3 million pieces, struck in bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) as had been standard since 1864. Despite improvements in metallurgy during the 1880s, cuds continued to occur as an inevitable consequence of die fatigue — the repeated impact of striking eventually causes stress fractures along the die rim, and when a piece breaks away, the cavity fills with metal to produce the characteristic raised featureless mass. CU-1c-1884-01 is the first documented cud die for this date, cataloged in the Cuds on Coins reference system. The 1880s saw consistent production of Indian Head Cents exclusively at the Philadelphia Mint, with Longacre's design well into its third decade of continuous use. No additional cross-references have been recorded.

External References