RRDC-5c-1942S-01 Bisecting Rim to Rim Die Crack

Description

This 1942-S Jefferson nickel reverse die suffered a catastrophic bisecting crack that traveled rim to rim, producing one of the more dramatically documented die crack varieties in the wartime nickel series. The crack originates at the rim above the second U in PLURIBUS, passes through the mintmark, and enters the dome of Monticello. It then jogs rightward as it exits the building, passing to the left of the E in MONTICELLO, before continuing downward between the E and N of CENT and ending in the opposing rim just left of the O in OF. Documented as RRDC-5c-1942S-01 by Cuds on Coins, this bisecting path traces nearly the full diameter of the reverse die in a single connected fracture. The 1942-S Jefferson nickel is struck in the wartime silver alloy (35% silver, balance copper and manganese), distinguished from standard nickels by the large mintmark above Monticello. That composition was adopted to free nickel for military use; the oversized mintmark enabled identification and segregation of silver-alloy coins. Die cracks of bisecting severity indicate a working die far beyond its useful life, with metal fatigue having propagated fully across the face. Attribution date: 02/01/2014.

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