PC-5c-1883-06R Pre-Cud

Description

Sixth reverse pre-cud documented for the 1883 Liberty Head Nickel - No CENTS variety in the Cuds on Coins catalog, PC-5c-1883-06R represents one of the earlier sequential entries in what has grown to be an extensive pre-cud census for this historically significant nickel type. The "06R" designation means this is the sixth distinct reverse die to exhibit the pre-cud condition — rim cracks that have begun to outline a section of die steel without yet producing a full break — for the 1883 No CENTS issue. Charles E. Barber's Liberty Head obverse, featuring a coronet-wearing Lady Liberty surrounded by thirteen stars, paired with the wreath-and-V reverse that launched the series in 1883 under immediate controversy due to the missing denomination. The pre-cud stage is particularly educational for understanding die failure mechanics: when rim cracks extend inward and begin to curve toward each other, they define the boundaries of what will eventually become a cud if the die remains in service. The enclosed area between the converging cracks shows the original design still intact but may be slightly raised or shifted relative to the surrounding die surface, because the partially detached fragment has begun to move under striking pressure. Philadelphia's production of approximately 5.48 million No CENTS nickels in 1883 used the 75% copper / 25% nickel alloy that had been standard since the Shield nickel's introduction in 1866, and the accumulation of six reverse pre-cuds by this point in the catalog sequence demonstrates recurring die vulnerability. Each of the six documented reverse pre-cuds represents a unique die with its own crack pattern, position, and severity, and distinguishing between them requires comparison of the specific crack geometry relative to the reverse design elements — the V, the wreath branches, and the peripheral inscriptions.

Attribution History

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

External References