RRDC-5c-1942S-03R Bisecting Rim to Rim Die Crack

Description

Third in the sequence of reverse bisecting rim-to-rim die cracks for the 1942-S wartime Jefferson Nickel, this variety was among the earliest documented by Cuds on Coins on June 5, 2018, predating several of the later-discovered RRDCs for this date. The 1942-S wartime nickel inaugurated the emergency silver alloy composition at the San Francisco Mint, where approximately 32.9 million pieces were struck in the 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese blend that replaced standard copper-nickel to conserve strategic nickel supplies for military production. Bisecting die cracks span the full diameter of the die face, producing a continuous raised line across the struck coin from rim to rim — a dramatic die failure that renders each affected specimen a tangible record of the die's structural collapse. The wartime silver alloy's physical properties differed significantly from standard nickel composition: higher silver content produced softer planchets with different flow characteristics under striking pressure, potentially altering the stress distribution within the die in ways that promoted crack initiation and propagation. Three RRDCs documented for the 1942-S within the broader sequence of seven or more total reflects a die failure pattern that variety researchers have systematically cataloged over the past several years. The large S mintmark above Monticello's dome identifies these as wartime composition coins, a design change implemented specifically to help the public and banks sort the different-alloy coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Zach Llewellyn
• Cross reference: none.  06/05/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References