CU-5c-1942S-02 Cud

Description

Cross-referenced as JNC-42S-5 in the Jefferson Nickel Cud reference system, this Cuds on Coins variety documents the second cataloged rim cud on a 1942-S Jefferson Nickel struck in the wartime silver alloy. The 1942-S nickel occupies a transitional position in U.S. coinage history: beginning partway through 1942, the Mint switched from the standard copper-nickel composition (75% Cu, 25% Ni) to the wartime silver alloy (56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese) to conserve nickel metal for military applications during World War II. The wartime alloy coins are distinguished by the large mintmark positioned prominently above Monticello's dome on the reverse — a special placement designed to facilitate future identification and retrieval of the silver-content coins after the war. The cross-reference numbering (CU designation 02 versus JNC designation 42S-5) illustrates how different cataloging authorities number the same variety differently based on their respective classification criteria and discovery sequences. Rim cuds form when die metal fractures at the edge through mechanical fatigue, and the alternative wartime alloy may have affected die wear patterns and stress concentrations differently than the standard copper-nickel composition, though this remains an area of ongoing study. The San Francisco Mint began wartime silver alloy production during 1942, and at 5.0 grams per coin, Felix Schlag's Jefferson portrait obverse and Monticello reverse design accommodate the cud as a raised featureless area at the coin's periphery where the broken die segment failed to impart any design detail.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Cross reference number: JNC-42S-5
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References