1867 Shield Nickel - No Rays - RCD-5c-1867-13 Retained Cud

Description

There is a certain irony to finding a retained cud on the 1867 Shield Nickel with the No Rays reverse, since the rays behind the stars on the original 1866 design were removed specifically because they were blamed for accelerating die breakage. Despite the redesign intended to improve die longevity, this retained cud shows that die fractures remained an issue. The Shield Nickel was the first nickel five-cent piece in American coinage, and the 1867 No Rays version represents the second year and second design variant of this denomination. A retained cud forms when a section of the die rim fractures free but is held in place, producing a raised area that carries its design rather than a clean, design-free blob. RCD-5c-1867-13 is cataloged in the Cuds on Coins reference system and was struck at the Philadelphia Mint. No additional cross-references have been recorded. This variety was documented by the Cuds on Coins reference.

External References