CU-1c-1886-02 Rim Cud Type 1 Cud

Description

Major die breaks at the rim produce one of the most visually dramatic error types in numismatics — the cud — where a section of the die fractures completely and the broken fragment falls away from the press, leaving a raised, featureless blob of metal on the struck coin where the missing piece can no longer impart design detail. This 1886 Indian Head Cent cataloged as CU-1c-1886-02 represents the second documented cud for the date and belongs specifically to the Type 1 variety. The 1886 Indian Head Cent exists in two recognized types distinguished by the position of the last feather on the Native American portrait: Type 1 has the feather pointing between the I and C of AMERICA, while Type 2 has it pointing between the C and A. Unlike a retained cud, where the broken die fragment remains lodged in the press and continues to strike coins with a flat displaced area, a full cud leaves an area of completely unstruck planchet metal at the rim — a dramatic visual anomaly that immediately catches the eye. Indian Head Cents were produced exclusively at the Philadelphia Mint throughout the series run from 1859 through 1909, and die varieties from the 1880s represent mature-series production with well-established manufacturing processes.

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