CU-5c-1968D-01 Cud

Description

First documented cud for the 1968-D Jefferson nickel, CU-5c-1968D-01 carries the cross-reference JNC-68D-1 in the Jefferson Nickel Cuds registry, with the matching "-01" and "-1" sequence numbers confirming that both cataloging organizations documented this as the inaugural cud variety for the date. Denver struck 91.2 million nickels in 1968, a production figure that reflected the ongoing aftershocks of the mid-1960s coin shortage, during which mintmark usage had been suspended. By 1968, mintmarks had been restored to the coinage (including the new "D" for Denver on nickels), and production was stabilizing at levels somewhat lower than the crisis-era peaks. The 1968-D nickel is historically notable as one of the first Denver nickels to bear the "D" mintmark after the 1965-1967 suspension, and any die variety from this restoration year carries a footnote of numismatic history. Rim cuds on late-1960s Jefferson nickels are well documented in the census, as this era marks the beginning of organized, systematic die break cataloging by collector organizations. The copper-nickel composition (75% Cu, 25% Ni) that had been standard for the five-cent piece since 1866 (excepting the 1942-1945 wartime silver alloy) creates a hard-striking planchet that places consistent mechanical demands on dies. The JNC-68D-1 cross-reference provides independent verification that this rim fracture variety has been examined and confirmed by multiple attributors, lending confidence to the cataloging even in the absence of additional reference system listings. For Jefferson nickel cud collectors, the 1968-D date represents a transitional moment when the post-shortage Mint was rebuilding its production rhythms and die variety documentation was entering a more rigorous era.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Cross reference number: JNC-68D-1.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References