1867 Shield Nickel - No Rays - RCD-5c-1867-08 Retained Cud

Description

RCD-5c-1867-08, a retained cud on the 1867 Shield Nickel without Rays, documents die rim failure that continued after the early-1867 removal of the reverse rays from James B. Longacre's design. The Mint's decision to eliminate the rays had been prompted by severe die breakage during the inaugural 1866 production, where radiating design elements between stars created vulnerable thin sections in the die steel. Each sequential number represents a separate working die that developed its own rim crack, with the fragment remaining seated to impress a raised irregular area on subsequent strikes. The Shield Nickel's obverse Union shield and reverse numeral 5 within a circle of stars continued unchanged between the two reverse types. Struck in 75% copper and 25% nickel at 5.0 grams at Philadelphia. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins. Compare the rim location and fracture pattern against the attribution images to distinguish this retained cud.

External References