CU-5c-1971D-01 Cud

Description

Sole entry in the Cuds on Coins census for the 1971-D Jefferson nickel to date, CU-5c-1971D-01 is cross-referenced as JNC-71D-1 in the Jefferson Nickel Cuds registry, with matching sequence numbers across both systems. Denver's 1971 nickel production stood at 316.1 million pieces, a healthy output that continued the substantial coining activity of the early 1970s. Despite this volume, only one cud has been formally cataloged, which may indicate either that this date experienced fewer die rim failures than its high-production neighbors (1970-D and 1972-D, both of which have multiple documented cuds) or that specimens from additional failed dies have not yet been discovered and submitted for attribution. The 1971-D nickel holds minor collector interest beyond the cud variety: no proof sets were issued from Denver, and the business strike coins entered circulation where most were absorbed into the vast pool of circulating nickels. Felix Schlag's Monticello reverse, with its five-step detail that famously distinguishes fully struck specimens from weakly struck ones, was at this point over thirty years old and continued to serve as the standard five-cent reverse. The rim cud itself -- that raised, designless area where die metal fractured and planchet metal flowed into the gap -- provides the 1971-D nickel with its primary claim to error-variety interest. For collectors building a date-complete set of Jefferson nickel cuds, the 1971-D requires locating this single documented variety, making it a comparatively straightforward date to complete versus the multi-cud years like 1970-D and 1975-D.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Cross reference number: JNC-71D-1.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References