PC-5c-1867-21 Pre-Cud

Description

Cataloged as the twenty-first pre-cud documented for the 1867 Shield Nickel in the Cuds on Coins reference system, PC-5c-1867-21 preserves a retained die crack at the rim of the "No Rays" variety — the revised reverse type introduced partway through 1867 after the original design's radiating rays between the stars were removed because they obscured the numeral 5 and surrounding details. Pre-cuds capture the intermediate stage of die failure where a crack has propagated from the die's rim inward, but the fractured fragment remains in place rather than breaking free. The struck coin shows a raised hairline tracing the crack's path — the precursor to the featureless raised blob that would result if the cracked piece eventually separated to form a full cud. The high sequence number 21 for this single year attests to the substantial die attrition rates in the Shield Nickel series, where the hard nickel alloy — 75% copper and 25% nickel at 5.0 grams — imposed considerable stress on the working dies. James B. Longacre's obverse shield motif and the reverse wreath with a prominent numeral 5 define this post-Civil War design, struck at the Philadelphia Mint. Look for the retained crack line extending from the rim inward to identify this variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by murphytam on ebay
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References