RCD-5c-1866-09 Retained Cud

Description

Ninth retained cud documented by the Cuds on Coins attribution service for the 1866 Shield Nickel with Rays, RCD-5c-1866-09 records yet another instance of die rim failure on this historically significant first-year nickel denomination. The catalog code follows the standard convention: RCD for retained cud, 5c for the five-cent denomination, 1866 for the date, and 09 indicating the ninth retained cud identified for this issue. A retained cud forms when a section of the die rim cracks and begins to separate from the die body but remains physically attached, sinking below the surrounding die surface. On struck coins, this manifests as a raised, slightly flattened area along the rim where the broken die segment could not fully impress the planchet, often retaining faint traces of the original design detail beneath the displaced metal. James B. Longacre designed the Shield nickel, introducing a bold obverse shield motif inspired by Civil War-era patriotic imagery, with a reverse featuring a large numeral 5 surrounded by thirteen stars and radiating rays. Philadelphia struck approximately 14.74 million Shield nickels with Rays in 1866, the denomination's inaugural year, and the challenging 75% copper, 25% nickel alloy demanded striking pressures far beyond what the Mint's existing die steel was optimized to handle. The extraordinary count of at least nine documented retained cuds for a single date and denomination provides compelling metallurgical evidence of the stress this alloy imposed on working dies — rim fractures accumulating at a rate that far exceeds typical die failure patterns for contemporary copper or silver denominations. The Rays reverse design, with its deeply sculptured radiating elements between the stars, compounded the striking difficulty by creating opposing high-relief features that further stressed the die steel. Collectors examining this variety should look for a raised shelf along a portion of the rim where the detail appears softened or partially obscured compared to adjacent areas.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References