1868 Shield Nickel - RCD-5c-1868-05 Retained Cud
Error
Attribution
Discovered by
davids5601 on ebay
Verified by
Cuds on Coins
Original Research
Description
RCD-5c-1868-05 records a rim die break on the 1868 Shield Nickel where the cracked fragment broke free but was held in place in the working die rather than falling away completely. Retained cuds are valued by die-state researchers because they capture a moment in the progressive failure of a die — the steel has cracked from the rim inward under cumulative striking pressure and the broken section has come loose, yet it is held in place, producing coins that show the fracture with the design still present rather than the bare lump of a full cud. The Shield Nickel's hard nickel alloy was demanding on dies. Struck at 5.0 grams in 75% copper and 25% nickel, this coin bears James B. Longacre's post-Civil War design. The catalog code reads RCD (retained cud), 5c (denomination), 1868 (year), and 05 (catalog number). Look for the retained fracture line and the associated zone of altered design detail near the rim.
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