1866 Shield Nickel - Rays - RCD-5c-1866-01 Retained Cud

Description

RCD-5c-1866-01, a retained cud on the 1866 Shield Nickel with Rays, records an obverse die failure from the inaugural year of nickel five-cent production in the United States. The Shield Nickel debuted in 1866 with prominent rays between the stars on the reverse, a design element removed early in 1867. RCD-5c-1866-01 and CU-5c-1866-01. The cross-reference to CU-5c-1866-01 establishes that this die ultimately produced full cud specimens after the retained fragment dislodged, creating a sequential die-state pair where the retained cud precedes the full cud chronologically. This relationship illuminates how die failures progress on early base-metal coinage, where the 75% copper and 25% nickel alloy responded differently to stress than silver on contemporary denominations. Coins from the retained cud stage show the characteristic raised zone, design intact, where the lodged fragment remained. Cataloged and verified by Cuds on Coins.

Cross References

• Cross reference number: RCD-5c-1866-01 & CU-5c-1866-01.

External References