CU-5c-1943S-02 Cud

Description

Second in the Cuds on Coins catalog for the 1943-S wartime silver alloy Jefferson Nickel, CU-5c-1943S-02 is cross-referenced as JNC-43S-1 in the Jefferson Nickel Cud reference system. Note the cross-reference numbering distinction: while Cuds on Coins designates this as the second cud (02) for the 1943-S nickel, the JNC system assigns it the number 43S-1, illustrating how different cataloging authorities can number the same variety differently based on their respective discovery sequences and inclusion criteria. Rim cuds on Jefferson Nickels occur when a section of the working die fractures at the rim and separates, leaving a void that strikes up as a raised, smooth mass of metal on the finished coin. The 1943-S nickel was produced in the wartime silver alloy (56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese), which replaced the standard 75% copper, 25% nickel composition from mid-1942 through 1945 to conserve nickel for military applications. The San Francisco Mint struck 104,060,000 wartime nickels in 1943, and the large S mintmark appears prominently above Monticello's dome on the reverse — the special wartime position designed to facilitate future identification and retrieval of the silver-content coins. Felix Schlag's Monticello reverse and Jefferson portrait obverse, both in continuous production since 1938, frame this die break variety within one of the most enduring U.S. coin designs. The existence of at least two documented cuds for the 1943-S confirms that rim die failures occurred on multiple working dies during that year's San Francisco production.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Cross reference number: JNC-43S-1
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References