PC-5c-1867-12 Pre-Cud

Description

Twelfth pre-cud cataloged for the 1867 Shield Nickel without Rays by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, PC-5c-1867-12 documents another die rim fracture on the early nickel five-cent denomination. The "No Rays" designation distinguishes this from the 1866-only "With Rays" sub-type — James B. Longacre's original 1866 reverse design featured prominent rays between the thirteen stars surrounding the large numeral 5, but these rays were removed beginning in 1867 because the complex reverse design created severe die wear and striking difficulties when paired with the high-relief shield obverse. Philadelphia struck approximately 28.89 million Shield nickels in 1867, the first full year of the simplified reverse design. The twelve documented pre-cuds for 1867 provide quantitative evidence that die rim failures persisted even after the rays were removed, indicating that the fundamental challenge of striking the hard 75% copper, 25% nickel alloy remained regardless of reverse design simplification. The rim fractures that produce pre-cuds are driven primarily by the outward force of metal flowing against the collar during striking, a force that depends on planchet composition hardness and striking pressure rather than design complexity. Each of the twelve cataloged pre-cuds represents a separate die that developed a rim crack during production, and the substantial count demonstrates that the nickel alloy continued to punish dies at rates above those experienced with copper or silver compositions. Pre-cuds mark the earliest visible stage of progressive die failure — the steel has cracked at the rim but the fractured piece remains firmly attached, producing only a thin raised line on struck coins that follows the crack path inward from the rim. Collectors examining Shield nickels from 1867 should inspect the rim area under 10-15x magnification for fine raised lines extending from the rim into the adjacent design field.

Attribution History

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

External References