CU-5c-1966-05 Cud

Description

Cross-referenced as JCN-1966-05 in the Jefferson Cent/Nickel tracking system, this fifth documented cud on the 1966 Jefferson Nickel records a major die break where rim-level die steel fractured and separated, producing a raised featureless mass on struck coins. The 1966 date occupies a unique position in U.S. coinage history — it was the second year of the mintmark-less era (1965-1967) when Congress eliminated mintmarks from all coins to discourage speculative hoarding during the coin shortage crisis. Without mintmarks, all 1966 nickels appear identical regardless of whether they were struck at Philadelphia, Denver, or San Francisco, though production records show Philadelphia and Denver handled the bulk of nickel coinage. This mintmark absence means CU-5c-1966-05 cannot be attributed to a specific mint facility based on the coin itself, only through production records or die provenance research. Felix Schlag's original Jefferson Nickel design was in its 28th year of production in 1966, and the reverse Monticello facade remained unchanged from its 1938 debut. The "05" suffix indicates this is the fifth distinct cud position cataloged for 1966 nickels — a notable population that suggests aggressive die usage during the coin shortage era, when mints pushed dies to their mechanical limits to maximize output. Cuds on nickels present as raised, detail-free blobs at the rim's edge, and their size varies from small chips involving minimal die loss to dramatic breaks that obliterate significant portions of the peripheral design. The September 2013 catalog date indicates when this variety entered the Cuds on Coins database.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Cross reference number: JCN-1966-05. 09/01/2013.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References