CU-5c-1940S-04 Cud

Description

Fourth in the cud census for the 1940-S Jefferson nickel, CU-5c-1940S-04 documents a rim fracture on a coin produced at San Francisco during only the third year of the Jefferson nickel series. Cross-referenced as JNC-40S-1A in the Jefferson Nickel Cuds registry, the "1A" suffix suggests a sub-variety or die stage variant within a broader cud grouping, indicating that multiple specimens from this same die break have been examined and show slightly different presentations, possibly reflecting progressive die deterioration. San Francisco struck 39.7 million Jefferson nickels in 1940, a production figure that was modest by later standards but significant for a facility that had been experiencing reduced coinage activity during the Depression years. The early Jefferson nickel issues (1938-1942) are of particular interest to variety collectors because the design was new and the Mint was still optimizing die production for Felix Schlag's design, which had won a public competition just two years earlier. The portrait's bold relief and Monticello's architectural detail placed demands on dies that sometimes exceeded expectations, contributing to a range of die failures. Having four documented cuds for the 1940-S issue -- a relatively low-mintage date -- suggests that die quality or durability may have been inconsistent at San Francisco during this early period. Rim cuds from prewar Jefferson nickels are generally scarcer in collector inventories than those from the high-volume 1960s and 1970s, simply because fewer coins were produced and fewer survive in the grades where cud features remain clearly visible.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Cross reference number: JNC-40S-1A
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References