PC-5c-1883-13 Pre-Cud

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins as PC-5c-1883-13, this pre-cud variety appears on an 1883 Liberty Head nickel from the No CENTS variety, part of the Liberty Head Nickels series produced from 1883 through 1912. The Liberty Head nickel, designed by Charles E. Barber, was struck in 75% copper and 25% nickel, weighing 5.0 grams with a 21.2 mm diameter and a plain edge. The 1883 No CENTS variety is one of the most historically significant coins in American numismatics, produced during the first year of the denomination when the reverse omitted the word CENTS, leading to gold-plating fraud where the coins were passed as five-dollar gold pieces. The Mint quickly added CENTS to the reverse later in 1883, creating the famous No CENTS and With CENTS subtypes. A pre-cud is the precursor stage to a full cud break, where die cracks have developed at or near the rim but the die fragment has not yet separated, creating raised crack lines on struck coins that indicate an impending cud formation. The cataloging notes reveal this particular pre-cud is related to a retained cud that split into two parts, with the left side designated as number 11 and the right side as number 12 in the Cuds on Coins inventory, indicating this die went through progressive stages of deterioration from pre-cud to retained cud to potentially a full cud break. An additional note records that the obverse has a number of die crack "White Arrows," referring to die cracks that appear as raised white lines on the coin surface pointing in specific directions. The Thurman and Margolis Cud Book provides the foundational reference framework for cataloging these die break varieties, and the TCC file numbering system organizes them systematically across all U.S. denominations and dates. Pre-cuds on Liberty Head nickels from the pivotal 1883 No CENTS issue combine die variety interest with the historical significance of one of America's most famous coin design errors.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Cross reference: none. This retained cud is split into two parts. The left side is #11 while the right side is #12. Cross reference: none.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References