RRDC-5c-1942S-06R Bisecting Rim to Rim Die Crack

Description

Sixth reverse bisecting rim-to-rim die crack cataloged for the 1942-S wartime Jefferson Nickel, this variety documents yet another complete die face fracture on a coin struck in the emergency silver-manganese alloy composition. Six reverse RRDCs for a single date and mint — the 1942-S wartime nickel — represents a notable concentration of die failure events that may reflect the metallurgical challenges of striking the unfamiliar 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese planchets. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on March 22, 2022, this variety carries no known cross-references. The 1942-S was the first year San Francisco produced wartime silver alloy nickels, and die wear characteristics were being established in real time as Mint personnel calibrated striking pressures for the new composition. Bisecting die cracks are structural failures that propagate across the full width of the die face, typically following stress concentration paths through the die's hardened steel. Once initiated, these cracks can extend rapidly under the cyclic loading of high-speed striking operations. The large S mintmark positioned above Monticello on the reverse identifies these coins as wartime alloy, and the die crack traverses the same reverse face that carries this distinctive mintmark placement. San Francisco's wartime nickel production in 1942 was approximately 32.9 million pieces, the first partial-year output of the emergency composition that would continue through 1945.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Keith Christenson
• Cross reference: none.  03/22/2022.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References