CU-5c-1981P-01 Cud

Description

Opening the cud registry for the 1981-P Jefferson nickel, CU-5c-1981P-01 marks the return of the "P" mintmark to the five-cent denomination after a four-decade absence. Philadelphia had not placed a mintmark on its nickels since the wartime silver issues of 1942-1945, but beginning in 1980, Congress mandated the "P" mintmark on all denominations except the cent, making 1981-P one of the early issues bearing the newly restored identifier. Cross-referenced as JNC-81P-3 in the Jefferson Nickel Cuds registry, this cud has been independently verified. Philadelphia struck 657.5 million nickels in 1981, a high-water mark that placed intense demands on die inventories and press capacity. The restored mintmark -- a small "P" positioned to the right of the date on the obverse -- added a new design element that the die had to faithfully reproduce, and the area around the mintmark punch can sometimes become a stress concentration point that contributes to nearby die deterioration. However, rim cuds typically originate at the die's outer perimeter rather than near interior design elements, and CU-5c-1981P-01 follows the standard cud formation mechanism of rim fracture and metal flow into the resulting void. Felix Schlag's obverse portrait and Monticello reverse were at this point over four decades old, a remarkable longevity for any American coin design. The first documented cud for the 1981-P issue serves as the foundational entry in its error census, establishing that die rim failures occurred at Philadelphia despite the controlled production environment of the nation's primary mint facility.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Heritage Auction
• Cross reference number: JNC-81P-3.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References