CU-5c-1983P-11 Cud

Description

Eleventh cataloged cud for the 1983-P Jefferson Nickel, CU-5c-1983P-11 documents a major die break at the rim with no known cross-references to other cud registries. The notably high sequence number — eleven distinct cuds from a single date-mint — speaks to the aggressive die usage patterns of the early 1980s, when Philadelphia's nickel production volumes were substantial and the economic pressures to maximize die life sometimes resulted in dies remaining in service longer, increasing the probability of fatigue fractures at the rim. Philadelphia struck approximately 561.6 million nickels in 1983, a figure that demanded continuous die replacement and generated the working die population from which these eleven (or more) cud-producing die failures emerged. Each of the eleven CU-5c-1983P entries documents an independent rim fracture event on a different working die, meaning the size, shape, position, and severity of the break varies across the entries — some may be small rim chips producing modest raised blobs, while others may represent substantial die segments creating large featureless areas that consume significant portions of the design. The 1983-P nickel carries standard 75% copper / 25% nickel composition and was among the first coins struck after the Mint transitioned to the P mintmark on nickels beginning in 1980 (prior to that, Philadelphia-struck nickels bore no mintmark). Without cross-references to the JNC system, authentication of CU-5c-1983P-11 relies on matching the specific break characteristics — location along the rim, angular extent, and inward penetration depth — against the Cuds on Coins catalog documentation. The concentration of eleven cuds from one date suggests this year may be disproportionately represented in cud collections.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References