CU-5c-1942S-04 Cud

Description

Documented by Cuds on Coins under the designation CU-5c-1942S-04, this fourth cataloged cud variety for the 1942 San Francisco-mint Jefferson Nickel involves the wartime silver alloy composition that began partway through 1942 production. The transition to wartime alloy (56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese) occurred mid-year at all three mints, and wartime nickels are identified by the large mintmark placed above the dome of Monticello on the reverse — the only time in U.S. coinage history that the P mintmark for Philadelphia appeared on a nickel. A cud is a major die break at the rim where a piece of the die physically separates from the die body, and subsequent coins struck from the damaged die display a raised, featureless blob of metal at the rim location where the die fragment detached. The CU-5c-1942S-04 designation as the fourth cud documented for this date-mint indicates that the 1942-S wartime nickel production generated multiple instances of rim-level die failure across its working die population. No additional cross-references have been noted for this variety. Felix Schlag's Jefferson portrait on the obverse and Monticello building on the reverse provide the design context, struck at 5.0 grams and 21.2 mm diameter. Wartime Jefferson Nickel cuds hold a dual appeal for collectors interested in both die break varieties and the distinctive wartime silver alloy composition that distinguishes these coins from their copper-nickel predecessors and successors.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference number: None Noted.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References