CU-5c-1983P-17 Cud

Description

Cross-referenced as JNC-83P-8 and recorded on September 1, 2013, this rim cud on the 1983-P Jefferson nickel represents the seventeenth cataloged cud for the date — an extraordinarily high count that reflects both the volume of 1983 Philadelphia nickel production and the thoroughness of die-break survey work on this denomination. Philadelphia struck over 561 million nickels in 1983, a year when the Mint was navigating the transition away from the more expensive copper cent composition (1982 saw the shift to copper-plated zinc) while maintaining full production across all circulating denominations. The Jefferson nickel's consistent design since 1938 provides decades of comparable data for die-failure analysis, and the seventeen cataloged cuds for 1983-P alone suggest either a batch of die steel with marginal fracture resistance or production conditions that exceeded normal die stress thresholds. Felix Schlag's obverse portrait, with its relatively low relief and smooth field areas, concentrates rim stress differently than the more detailed Monticello reverse, and the location of the cud (obverse versus reverse, and clock position) would further inform die-failure pattern analysis. The JNC (Jefferson Nickel Cud) cross-reference system parallels the JCc system used for Lincoln cents, providing a denomination-specific census that facilitates comparative research.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Cross reference: JNC-83P-8. 09/01/2013.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References