RRDC-5c-1942S-04R Bisecting Rim to Rim Die Crack

Description

Fourth documented reverse bisecting rim-to-rim die crack for the 1942-S Jefferson Nickel struck in the wartime silver alloy, this variety preserves a fracture that traversed the entire diameter of the reverse die from one rim to the opposite rim. Bisecting die cracks represent an advanced stage of die failure where metal fatigue propagated completely across the die face rather than terminating within the design area, producing a raised line on struck coins that spans the full width of the planchet. The 1942-S wartime nickel was struck in the emergency 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese composition adopted when nickel was diverted to military production, and the large S mintmark was placed above Monticello's dome rather than in its traditional location to identify the altered alloy. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on September 17, 2018, this variety carries no known cross-references to other attribution systems. Four reverse RRDCs for the 1942-S wartime nickel suggests the silver alloy's different metallurgical properties may have affected die longevity — the harder planchets potentially accelerated die fatigue and crack propagation compared to the standard copper-nickel composition. San Francisco struck approximately 32.9 million wartime nickels in 1942, the first partial year of silver alloy production, with dies subjected to striking pressures calibrated for a metal with different flow characteristics.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Zach Llewellyn
• Cross reference: none.  09/17/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References