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Top 25 Liberty Seated Dime Cud Dies

Based on the successful introduction of the Top 100 Liberty Seated Dime Varieties and the Top 25 Liberty Seated Dime Shattered Dies and current popularity with advanced variety specialists, Dr. Tim Cook proposed building a Top 25 LIberty Seated Dime Cud Dies advanced set and provided the following introduction to the completed module.

With the addition of the specialty set of shattered dies to the registry it seemed logical to take the next step to include a registry of seated dime cuds.

As Gerry has stated " a cud occurs when a piece of the working die separates from itself resulting in a void.: As metal flows into this void it appears to be lifted up from the surface of the coin often originating from the rim." Numerous rim cuds exist but only a few of the more difficult and popular are included here. The most spectacular examples are cuds extending into the internal design elements and are usually quite rare and in great demand. The reason for this rarity can be as obvious as the die being discarded shortly after breakage occurred or even the possibility that "damaged" coins of the last century were not valued and instead recycled or continued in circulation until oblivion. Evidence of this can be seen as most cuds are found well worn.

Completing a set of the Top 25 Cuds would be perhaps the most difficult open registry set to complete likely taking decades. This actual set pictured is maybe more of a showcase of a combined collection of advanced sets. Much of this work began with Larry Briggs who collected various seated cuds especially those of 1853 over a period of many years. I was able to purchase this group at the Chicago ANA in the 1990s with Larry's dimes forming the core of this Top 25 cud dies set. I would like to thank Gerry Fortin for his opinions, coins, and photography and Jason Feldman for being a valuable sounding board for this work. Much of my enjoyment in collecting seated dimes is have collegues such as these gentlemen.

Following is the Top 25 Cud Dies table, which provides access to full page web-book descriptions. The table is followed by a quick pictorial description of each of the Top 25 cud varieties.

 

Table of the Top 25 Cud Dies

Click on the underlined dates to see images and web-book descriptions of each Top 25 cud die.

Variety Number

Date

Variety Location

Fortin Reference

Descriptions and Requirement for Variety

1

1840-O

Reverse

103a

Two reverse rim cuds at 9:00 and 10:00 with the 9:00 cud extending into the denticles. Reverse has Small O mintmark as employed in 1839.

2

1841-O

Reverse

107b

Heavy reverse cud at 12:00 and encroaching into letter STA(TES)

3

1841-O

Reverse

111b
Reverse cud at 12:00 and encroaching into letter STAT(ES)

4

1842

Obverse

103b

Obverse rim duds at 10:00 and 4:00.

5

1842-O

Obverse

104a

Obverse rim cud at 10:00 when paired with Small O reverse die.

6

1852

Reverse

105b

Retained cud at tops of letters UNIT(ED S)TATES

7

1852

Obverse

110a

Emerging obverse cud at bottom of the date digits

8

1853WA Hubbed

Reverse
102b
Massive reverse cud in lower right wreath

9

1853WA Unhubbed

Reverse
107a
Reverse cud between 2:00 to 3:00 that is encroaching on top of A(ME)RICA
10
Reverse
116a
Reverse cud between 2:00 to 3:30 that is encroaching on top of A(MER)ICA
11
Reverse
120a
Large retained reverse cud between 12:00 to 1:30 that is encroaching on top of (OF)
12
Reverse
121a
Large retained reverse cud between 8:00 to 9:00 that is encroaching on top of (UNIT)ED
13
Obverse
103a
Retained obverse die cud across bottom of 1875 date digits
14
Reverse
106b
Massive reverse cud between rim and lower left wreath
15
Obverse
107a
Retained obverse die cud across bottom of 187 date digits
16
Reverse
107b
Retained reverse rim cud between 8:30 to 9:30
17
Reverse
110a
Retained reverse rim cud between 3:30 to 5:00
18
Reverse
101b
Large reverse cud at 6:00 directly below the left and right ribbon ends
19
Reverse
111a
Reverse die cuds at 9:00 and 11:00
20
Reverse
117a
Retained reverse cud between 7:00 and 9:00
21
Reverse
106a
Retained reverse cud between 9:00 and 11:00
22
Reverse
112
Retained reverse cud between 10:30 and 12:00
23
Reverse
114b
Reverse cuds at 9:00 and 10:00 to 11:00
24
Reverse
120
Massive reverse cud between 2:30 and 4:30
25
Reverse
123a
Retained reverse cud between 9:00 and 10:30

 

 

Pictorial of the Top 25 Liberty Seated Dime Cud Dies

 

Cud Die #1 - 1840-O F-103a

Reverse Rim Cuds at 9:00 and 10:00

        

 

 

Cud Die #2 - 1841o F-107b

Heavy Reverse Cud at 12:00 into STA(TES)

        


 

Cud Die #3 - 1841-O F-111b

Reverse Cud at 12:00 into STAT(ES)

        


Cud Die #4 - 1842 F-103b

Obverse Rim Cuds at 10:00 and 4:00

        

 

 

Cud Die #5 - 1842-O F-104a

Obverse Rim Cud at 10:00

Ahwash Plate Coin

        

 

 

Cud Die #7 - 1852 F-105b

Retained Cud at Letters UNIT(ED S)TATES

        

 

 

Cud Die #6 - 1852 F-110a

Emerging Obverse Cud at Bottom of Date Digits

        

 

 

Cud Die #8 - 1853 With Arrows, Hubbed F-102b

Massive Reverse Cud

Greer Plate Coin

        

 

 

Cud Die #9 - 1853 With Arrows, Unhubbed F-107a

Reverse Cud Between 2:00 - 3:00

        

 

 

Cud Die #10 - 1853 With Arrows, Unhubbed F-116a

Reverse Cud Between 2:00 - 3:30

        

 

 

Cud Die #11 - 1853 With Arrows, Unhubbed F-120a

Retained Reverse Cud Between 12:00 - 1:30

Greer Plate Coin

        

 

 

Cud Die #12 - 1853 With Arrows, Unhubbed F-121a

Retained Reverse Cud Between 8:00 - 9:00

Greer Plate Coin

        

 

 

Cud Die #13 - 1875-CC Below Wreath F-103a

Retained Cud Below All Date Digits

                

 

 

Cud Die #14 - 1875-CC Below Wreath F-106b

Massive Cud Between Rim and Lower Left Wreath

        

 

 

Cud Die #15 - 1875-CC Below Wreath F-107a

Retained Cud Below 187 Date Digits

        

 

 

Cud Die #16 - 1875-CC In Wreath F-107b

Retained Reverse Cud Between 8:30 - 9:30

        

 

 

Cud Die #17 - 1875-CC In Wreath F-110b

Retained Reverse Cud Between 3:30 - 5:00

        

 

 

Cud Die #18 - 1875-S In Wreath F-101a

Large Reverse Cud at 6:00

        

 

 

Cud Die #19 1887-S F-111a

Reverse Die Cuds at 9:00 and 11:00

Greer Plate Coin

        

 

 

Cud Die #20 - 1890 F-117a

Retained Reverse Cud Between 7:00 and 9:00

        

 

 

Cud Die #21 - 1891 F-106a

Retained Reverse Cud Between 7:00 and 9:00

        

 

 

Cud Die #22 - 1891 F-112

Retained Reverse Cud Between 10:30 and 12:00

        

 

 

Cud Die #23 - 1891-O F-114b

Reverse Cuds at 9:00 and 10:00 to 11:00

Greer Plate Coin

     

 

 

Cud Die #24 - 1891-O F-120

Massive Reverse Cud Between 2:30 and 4:30

     

 

 

Cud Die #25 - 1891-O F-123a

Retained Reverse Cud Between 9:00 - 10:30

     


 

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