CU-5c-1869-03 Cud

Description

Third cataloged cud on the 1869 Shield Nickel, CU-5c-1869-03 documents a die rim fracture on one of the earlier dates in America's first base-metal five-cent piece. James Barton Longacre's Shield Nickel design, introduced in 1866 and struck through 1883, features a prominent Union shield on the obverse and a large numeral 5 surrounded by stars and rays on the reverse — a design whose deep relief and bold elements created significant stress concentrations in the die during striking. The Philadelphia Mint produced 16,395,000 Shield Nickels in 1869, a moderate output in the series' fourth year, using the new copper-nickel alloy that was considerably harder than the copper used for cents and the silver used for half dimes, placing greater mechanical demands on the dies. Three documented cuds for this date indicates that Shield Nickel dies experienced rim fracturing at rates comparable to other denominations despite — or perhaps because of — the harder alloy composition and the deep-relief design that concentrated stress at the die periphery. No additional cross-references exist beyond the primary designation. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, CU-5c-1869-03 extends systematic die break documentation into the Reconstruction-era Shield Nickel series, connecting post-Civil War coinage history with modern variety classification methodology.

Attribution History

• Cross reference number: none. See CU-5c-1869-03.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References